The cross-depiction is the recognition — and synthesis — of objects whether they are photographed, painted, drawn, etc. It is a significant yet under-researched problem. Emulating the remarkable human ability to recognise and depict objects in an astonishingly wide variety of depictive forms is likely to advance both the foundations and the applications of Computer Vision. Peter Hall discusses the cross-depiction problem, explain why it is difficult, discuss some current approaches. 

Image courtesy of interviewee