SELF PORTRAIT 01 | ACRYLIC AND OIL ON CANVAS | 18"X24"
For most of art history, the artists behind a work have been well agreed upon and understood. A painter’s painting, a photographer’s photographs, and playmaker’s play – there’s been no equivocation on who the visionaries behind these works are. Now, with technological advancements, such as AI and other generative technologies, the line has perceptively been blurred between who, or what, can be credited for these works. I would argue, however, that the line has been blurred for specific artists throughout history and even more so as we witness specific technological developments.
For large works of art, artists have historically enlisted help from assistants for the completion of these projects. From mausoleums to mezzanines, large artworks have needed extensive help in order to reach completion. While an assistant helping manage brushes and paints isn’t the most intellectual of jobs, this example shows artists have been and are willing to take contributions from other sentient creatures. A more modern example of this can be seen with new AI generators. These human assistants may not be able to paint Oprah in the style of the Gustav Klimt, but the two scenarios are analogous in a sense that another sentient (loaded word there) creature is contributing to the overall vision of an artwork in varying capacities. The relationship between individual artist and generative technologies will steadily morph into a symbiotic relationship for many artists as these two entities continue interacting.
Moreover, I would argue that much larger artistic productions such as movies, and plays already operate in a manner where a purported visionary, a director in this situation, executes said vision with the help of several other sentient creatures depending on the situation. While the credit for a movie isn’t given solely to a director, much of the success or failure of the movie is credited to the director as they are the captains of their cinematic ships. Moving forward, individual artists may enlist the help of AI art in the completion of their visions and take on roles more similar to movie directors. Artists however will undoubtedly still be given the credit for these creations insofar as they’re executing these projects with an artistic vision. To specify, what separates an artistic endeavor is the intentions and explorations behind the artist’s work. Throwing paint on a canvas is just that if there’s no intention behind the work. The view of artists using these technologies however will surely be different from artists who don’t, for better or for worse.
What will really be interesting, however, is the day when an AI program creates and formulates projects without the aid of humans. Projects independent from human influence and vision. It’s almost hilarious thinking about a computer program creating art for fun (example), but could be an eventuality.
So, I ask, if a computer program makes are without human prompt, who’s the artist? The silicon chips in the computer? The coders who created the program? The 1’s and 0’s the run the program?
See u later space cowboy
Happenings
LA people: I'm hosting a painting class/party in two weeks! Sign up with the eventbrite link below. It'll be a vibe :) see u there
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