Friday, November 24, 2023

Picasso's Legacy: Inspiring Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Disrupt Art Again. | The Digital Book Squad.

Part I:

The dichotomy between innate talent and acquired skills or primary and secondary inspirations, has long been a focal point in the dynamic world of art. Traditionally, an artist's prowess is gauged by their ability to uniquely interpret ideas creatively through painstaking processes – using their gifted and charcoal stained hands, pencils, water colors or oil paints, different brush strokes and so on, to create a distinctive value for their work. However, the advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) introduces a paradigm shift, offering smarter alternatives that can swiftly and adeptly interpret concepts. Critics see AI art as unoriginal or lazy art forgetting that crafting generative prompts indeed requires a unique skill set, akin to the talents of a traditional artist. It is simply a fascinating evolution where technology enhances and transforms the creative process.

 

The crux of the matter lies in the juxtaposition of traditional craftsmanship against the efficiency and precision of AI algorithms. The value proposition extends beyond personal preferences, delving into a nuanced debate on the evolving definition of artistic merit – issues surrounding originality, creativity, technical skills, emotional impact, cultural significance and more. Other related controversial topics include authorship, copyright issues, intellectual property rights and more.

 

For a specie that has been through various stages of evolution and industrial revolutions; the cave man era, writing with stones and scrolls, the pencil and paper era, coal, metallurgy, steam power, invention of cars, electricity & automation, gas, electronics, nuclear power, internet, renewable energy and more – one would have expected a more receptive and open-minded approach in discussing whether or not AI art is "real" art as this is a very complex topic. While there are legitimate concerns that need to be addressed, there is no one answer that will satisfy everyone, as the definition of art is subjective and can vary from person to person. Generally speaking, art works are meant to calm nerves, inspire us or adorn our environment. If a piece of art can evoke emotions and provoke thoughts in viewers, then such art work has achieved the purpose regardless of the mediums, processes or platforms used to make or interpret such. Art lovers or consumers will always have their preferences in these matters but more importantly are the moral or ethical values surrounding such art pieces.

 

robot standing by painting of The Mona Lisa. Image by #SagittArtng for The Digital Book Squad

Picasso Reborn

Pablo Picasso a towering figure in the art world was renowned for his versatility, boundless creativity and willingness to push artistic boundaries. To interpret some of his ideas, he used pencil, charcoal, ink, chalk, etc. In fact, in his Cubist drawing; Picasso used ‘found and unconventional’ items in his art - cardboard, wallpapers, and newspaper. This challenged conventional notions of art and sparked debates about the ethical implications of artistic appropriation. Picasso, the trailblazer of artistic innovation, could have stuck with conventional tools - perhaps a chisel and stone tablets just to keep things historically accurate. Why bother with materials like cardboard, wallpapers, or newspapers? I mean, was that even considered real art in his time? Just like the critics, one can almost hear him now, passionately explaining, "No, no, I can't possibly use this newspaper in my art. It's far too innovative and modern, my avant-garde reputation would suffer. Let's stick to ancient papyrus scrolls, shall we?" Who needs versatility when you can keep things comfortably obsolete?

Some of his innovative art works include 'Still Life with Violin & Newspaper (1912)', 'Guernica (1937)' – suffice to say that when Pablo unveiled these pieces, he probably became a threat to the artists of his era. He was called a fraud; that his newly unveiled cubist art pieces were ‘ugly’ and ‘nonsensical but the incorporation of newspapers into his art works reflected his awareness of current events and the impact of technology on society, while playing cards and wallpaper provided a sense of pattern and structure amidst the fragmentation of Cubism. Centuries down the line, humanity seems to be doing just fine – there seems to be enough room for different genres of art until the invention of AI.

 

Ethical Concerns in Picasso’s Era:

Picasso's use of newspaper prints raises questions about copyright infringement and the artist's right to transform preexisting material into a new work of art. While the copyright of the original newspaper text and images belonged to the publishers, Picasso will argue that his artistic transformation elevated the mundane newsprint into a work of art, imbuing it with new meaning and value. Right or wrong, there’s obviously room for improvement on all sides.

 

Let’s just imagine a Picasso vehemently rejecting innovation, sticking to the artistic comfort zone of his era, and scoffing at anything that wasn't considered 'classical.' The art world would have missed out on so much chaos, creativity, and cardboard-induced masterpieces! The relevance of Pablo Picasso's experiences to the AI art controversy of today, lies in the fact that just like Pablo, AI art is challenging traditional norms of art and currently facing resistance from art critics and enthusiasts. Will this monster be tamed or will it gain global acceptance and recognition just like Picasso? Time will tell.

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AI Art by #SagittArtng for The Digital Book Squad


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