We reached out to Sebastien de Oliveira to ask him some questions about the old photographs and the fresh touch of color he adds to them. First, we were interested in the artist’s approach to AI and its ability to modify photographs in seconds. Sebastien told us: “For me, AI is still not satisfying for colorizing old photos. I don’t use it. I colorize like a painter, by hand, so I don’t need a machine to do it for me. It is a mistake to avoid thinking of colorization as a piece of art and not only a technical process. Give an image to ten different colorists, and they will give you ten different versions. I understand that it can be seen as a threat, but I think there will always be room for different techniques. The arrival of photography in the history of art didn’t make painting disappear; it made it evolve.”

Sebastien added: “I see my work as an adaptation of an original, so my choices are completely personal, a result of my references. My version and an AI version will always be two different things.”

Asked which photographs he likes editing the most, the artist answered: “I love old photos from the 1930s to the 1950s, with a soft spot for the 1940s. The designs, the clothes, the overall atmosphere—all evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for me. The best way I've found to travel back in time is through colorization. I'm particularly drawn to simple street views and urban photographs, capturing people walking around, busy streets filled with cars—these are simple yet powerful images from the past that I adore.”

We were wondering how long it usually takes for Sebastien to finalize one image. We learned that: “It can take me anywhere from two to ten hours, depending on the complexity of the image. I need to select every single object by hand for my process, so it can be time-consuming. On average, it will take two to three hours, which isn't too much. My work as a photo retoucher in the fashion industry has trained me to be fast.”

The images colorized by Sebastien look very realistic, and very often it’s very hard to say they weren't taken in color in the first place. We were curious what techniques the artist uses in order to create this seamless effect. We found out that: “My technique is not simple to explain in a few words. Let’s say that I observe a lot how the light works on objects—the reflections, the transparency, the temperature of the light—and all the different interactions between them, and I've found a technical way to reproduce them. The system involves colorizing not only each different object but also the different grays that compose each object. I also draw lessons from the impressionists and other painters who worked on the reproduction of light. Additionally, I take a lot of inspiration from old color photos from the past, such as the Autochromes of the Lumière brothers.”

Asked if photo retouching is his full-time profession, Sebastien de Oliveira said: “I don’t make a living from it, but it is already a good part of my activities. I collaborated on some projects, such as the book 'Extraordinary Voyages' for Louis Vuitton, for example, or an article for France-Amérique magazine, and I also took some orders. I would love to work on more projects that involve colorization.”

Lastly, we asked the artist to tell us something about his book that was released last year: “A publisher liked my work and proposed to publish a book. We worked for six months on it, and it was released in October 2022. 'Back to America' contains 174 colorizations from 1935 to 1943. It is a large selection of images from the Farm Security Administration, available at the American Library of Congress. I am really proud of it, and it has been well-received in France. It offers a genuine time travel experience in the U.S. during the '40s and serves as a tribute to American cinema. They have asked me for a second book, so I am working on this new project right now. It is scheduled for release in May 2024.”