So, thinking about art and AI Art and selling AI Art seems a bit more divisive than I thought. Many people think it’s just not art, most seem to be in the its just derivative category. I have had a concern about selling something which I’ve created “in the style of” for instance. I really don’t want to be just copying someone else.
This has led me to a few thoughts. Firstly, as previously outlined, I do have a similar process making pictures as I do with taking photographs. The process of getting the idea, or scene or concept out of my head and onto some form of media. So in that aspect its 1 for creativity in favour if you ask me.
The main area I’ve been thinking about, and would love others input on this, is this idea of “in the style of”, as example.
The prompt on this included “in the style of Mark Rothko”, it clearly isnt a Rothko but I can certainly see the influence.
I studied photography and we were forever looking at and producing work “in the style of” lots and lots of other photographers, artist and more. A few of favourites of mine are Andrea Gursky, Lewis Baltz and Cindy Sherman. I even did a “Untitled Film Stills” series.
The thing here is that no one, ever, said something like its not art, just derivative or a copy. The argument about photography being a copy or derivative of painting is long over. Everyone would describe it as “in the style of” or influenced by, reminiscent of…. Of course we are all encouraged to find our own style but just like in any art-form everyone studied someone. In that way I think that AI probably studied more than most, has seen more than most so any artwork it produces is, in my view, less likely to be in the style of any particular person. Its the person writing the prompt, editing or curating the work that is responsible for that, surely?
I suppose in this aspect its difficult to tell the intention, but hasnt that always been the case? Who knows what Pink Floyd members thought when coming up with Dark Side of the Moon. Is The Matrix a derivative work of Plato? I’m of the view that it is substantially different but the same idea it clearly there.
I’m not sure I have a conclusion for that.
And finally.
In an effort to figure things out I thought I would try to make some AI generated images in the style of “Jason M Rogers”…. yes, you guessed it, thats me. the prompt included “in the style of 500px photographer …. and art works from the saatchi.com artist ….. (shameless self promotion I know) and it came up with a few things, some that didn’t bare any resemblance what-so-ever but a few… Breathtaking!
These are just broad strokes and I have added “minimalist urban landscape in pastels”… etc for some of them. Some of them are not right at all, the following arent in any way right but the ones above, are shocking. The second one, with the gate in a photograph style is just the sort of thing I would do. The fourth, cityscape with benches is uncanny, albeit the city is a different city, but the real winner is the cyanotype looking picture, the fifth blue one, I lived in Northampton for a while (UK) and did a near endless series just like this image. I did wonder if the AI had been on my old University pages to find them its thats close. I’m a bit astonished myself.
So I suppose thats my conclusion. Be careful and controlled with the “in the style of” because actually it can be incredibly similar to the point of the original creator wondering if it is actually one of theirs they had forgotten about.
I may well just be going on a bit much now but looking at the works that are in my own style, and they are in my own style, but they are also influenced by the artists I previously talked about, particularly Baltz and Gurksy, Gursky more for his landscapes, notably Rhine etc and Lewis Baltz for the urban landscape but these are my influences, my homages if you like, these are the people that I looked at and have translated that into AI. I havent blindly asked “make me a picture that looks just like a Picasso”.
I suppose there is the problem, people will do that. Perhaps thats were the line is, perhaps thats the thing that hard to see, where does AI Art actually become meaningful, as apposed to just another copy, of a copy….. my philosophy teacher would be proud!
Thanks for reading to the end.
Jason M Rogers | Digital Creations | Wall Art | Photography 