‘Art-ificial’: Wild ‘Painting Computer’ Produces Artistic Masterpieces
- Posted on May 6, 2012 at 8:39pm by
Erica Ritz
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Does it still count as an artistic masterpiece, if a computer created it?
Simon Colton has created a seemingly intelligent computer program called the “Painting Fool” that can reproduce a range of styles, and its products are impressing viewers.
In the video below, according to New Scientist, the computer utilizes visual attributes of the human body to produce a crowd of people, then, in another work, what first appears to be a straightforward painting of a hand reveals a hidden dimension when turned sideways.
The program finds “inspiration” online by running web searches or trawling social networking sites, thereby selecting subjects most relevant to humans.
According to Colton, the fact that the computer has depicted fuzzy landscapes demonstrates that it may even have a rudimentary imagination.
Take a look at the video, below:
Do you think it counts as art if a computer created it? And what will it mean if computers do start having “imaginations”?
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Comments (36)
nappy
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 1:15pmWell.. if rappers can be called artists then I suppose this boring procedural image generator can be called art.. by the same people that call rap ‘music’
Report Post »tharpdevenport
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 1:08pmNo, it’s not art. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
Good intention: creating a program that “Creates” art.
Road to Hell: If it’s art, it can be sold. If the owner passes on, who gets this program;s copyright? Can you own something that creates of it’s own program by your coding, but now of it’s own doing? Do we then have to give the program, and any computer that has it, a “right”?
If you use the program to create art and sell it, do you owe money to the program creator? If you do, what happens when he dies?
Just some initial thoughts, but a can of worms best left untouched.
Report Post »spirited
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 12:14pmArt is subjective.
Programming is an objective.
Life is based on perspective; beauty is in the eye of the beholders
often tainted by what someone shoulders.
Report Post »Lone Ranger
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:15amWhat we need is a computer that can draw cartoons of Popeye fighting the Japs. Whatever happened to those?
Report Post »jespasinthru
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:27amBig fat hairy deal. They’ve been producing this kind of “art” since the early 1990′s, when the video “Beyond The Mind’s Eye” first came out. And the “Mind’s Eye” compilers did a much better job of it.
Report Post »itsjustgigi
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:14amTrue art is an expression or thought that speaks from the soul. I‘m hoping my computer doesn’t suddenly develop one anytime soon. If it does, I’m throwing the thing out!
Report Post »4truth2all
Posted on May 8, 2012 at 11:47amOn occasion my computer does whatever the heck it wants … maybe it’s possed.
I personally think the stuff is kind of cool.
Report Post »Being artistic I have actally done a three dimensional “picture”( not on a computer) by a process I am not going to discribe here for the sake of the idea be “stolen”.
Silversmith
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:53amNot Art. Art is the force that creates and in it’s wake leaves “works of art” The force that creates was involved in writing the algorithms for the program, but the program is imitating creation. And while it may be complex and interesting – Still — Not Art.
Silversmith
Report Post »jessix
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:18amReminds me of the Rorschach INK BLOT TEST!
Report Post »Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:07amMusic is just mathematics rendered in sound. If one form of art (music) can be generated algorithmicly, there is no reason to suppose that the same cannot be true for other forms of art (painting). If the software is going through the same mental/informational processes to create its output as a human painter, as evidenced by the subjective quality of its output, then yes, it’s art and the computer that created it is being creative.
Report Post »BenInNY
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:52amNah, I beg to differ on that one for the reason that I don’t consider math when writing music, but math can be used to analyze or interpret it. Yes, you can use math to do it, but if you adhere strictly to mathematical rules while writing you’ll end up with something that sounds robotic and in most cases unappealing – MS Songsmith would be a possible example here along with most pre-nintendo video game music.
Report Post »The two areas where math is completely completely relevant are in tuning (A2=110hz A3=220hz A4=440hz, etc) and rhythm/meter, but again, if you want it to sound good you’re better off not quantizing everything right into that rhythmical pocket–even when making music on the computer.
poorrichard09
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 7:54amLooks like something from an LSD trip back in the ’60s! ; )
Report Post »ThePostman
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 7:20amWait until this program discovers porn. Then the show’s over.
Report Post »amerbur
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 1:49amI love them and I hate them. I am also afraid of what they may become.
Report Post »cuinsong
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 11:15pmThis art is part of a program. Nothing here was thought of by the computer if anything it is a random selecting algorithm that is the hart of the painting! Bottom line their is no intelligence other then the programmers ability to write a program that paints at random some picture that is assembled from the available options programmed into the library source. Nice job but no intelligence just a smart programmer! Now give that man a cigar!
Report Post »burnbabylon
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 10:44pmI hope computers don’t get all snotty now.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 11:35pmThe first picture printed via a Computer… was of a naked girl :)
Report Post »LadyLibertykicksASS
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 10:07pmReally…..????????????
Report Post »ShyLow
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:54pmwas there an Ai in the bible?pretty sure there was…the bible codes take a computer to access…also a Ram in the bible , random access memory….God would have to have a way of saving your memories ,for your soul to go on , from my experience he knows were those files are located better than I do…I am the Last High Priest
Report Post »scuba13
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 10:32pmOkay, let us know how that works out for you.
Report Post »JP4JOY
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 12:08amwouldn’t that totally depend on the translation, language, too many variables
Report Post »KickinBack
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:45pmThat one looks like someone sneezed on their monitor.
Report Post »ShyLow
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:38pmPROM program read only memory…everything is pre-written and cannot be changed…computers play into bible prophesy , think of apples logo , or 1.44 of a floppy disk…I am the Last High Priest
Report Post »AllLost
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:38pmThis is further PROOF to me that the crap we call art is not in fact art.
I know….I am a cave man.
Report Post »oldironsides
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:16pmyou‘ld have to freeze and save every monitor to have the ’original’, print it and its a ‘print’.
Report Post »it’s not art, but rather a series of algorithms lacking emotion.
IvanK
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:01pmEeeeeeeeeeeeWWWWWWW! I’m impressed… about as impressed with our governments ability to save money.
Report Post »setoguro
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 8:58pmI’m not impressed.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 8:55pmI‘m trying to think where I’ve seen that…. OMG! It’s PORN!!!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 8:50pmNeoCrap!
Report Post »THXll38
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 8:48pmThe computer may give it the final output to the monitor, but it takes humans to develop the software and hardware that does it. That indeed is not an easy task for many.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:00pmBack in the 70′s… I wrote a Fortran Program as a Game to Simulate Star Trek… and demonstrated it to my “Big Bang Theory” Buddies… where upon Sheldon said: “Is that all that it does”?
Report Post »ShyLow
Posted on May 6, 2012 at 9:18pmwatch the May 3rd episode of TBBT and look at what I posted on April 20th http://www.theblaze.com/stories/could-robot-prostitutes-be-the-future/ The coincidences will continue…Don’t you wish everthing was made like rubbermaid
Report Post »Kerstile
Posted on May 8, 2012 at 6:15am@luke, I think I played that game. Did yours have a blow up everything including self function? hahahaha! Not kidding. I played a primitive ST type game loaded on our retail pharmacy PC (this is back in about 1983). Could it really be yours? Freaky, man!!!
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