What Is Art?

[poliphilo]

 It was raining, not pelting but drizzling- and there was a cold wind- so the kids shelved their outdoor plans and instead we went to the Towner, which had laid on some fun kiddy activities- and took in some art.

It feels heretical- against my own instincts even- but I can't look at paintings these days without thinking, "Yeah, beautiful- exquisite craftsmanship and all that-  but I could go home and in five minutes or less- with a few keystrokes- knock out something very similar, using AI." 

What is Art anyway? I don't believe there's ever been a satisfactory answer.

Comments

[cmcmck]

I could produce poetry using AI but that isn't my poetry.

[poliphilo]

Our mate wrote a technically perfect Shakespearian sonnet using ChatGPT. He could have generated hundreds of the damn things had he so chosen.

[paserbyp]

You’re completely right about Art: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art#:~:text=Art%20is%20a%20diverse%20range,%2C%20technical%20proficiency%2C%20or%20beauty.

[mtbc]

I figure that art is about exploring or communicating something that's not as easily approached more directly.

[poliphilo]

A picture is worth a thousand words? Yes, that can be true.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> What Is Art? <<

Well, the anthropological definition is "any object or part of an object that is purely decorative rather than functional." It sounds simplistic and overbroad, but it's really important. Not many creatures use tools, but humans are almost the only ones who decorate things. The only other really artistic creatures I can think of are bowerbirds.

The creative version is that art is self-expression made manifest. It's something people do to make sense of the world and to mark their place in it. In that regard, it is not about decoration but about meaning.

>>It feels heretical- against my own instincts even- but I can't look at paintings these days without thinking, "Yeah, beautiful- exquisite craftsmanship and all that- but I could go home and in five minutes or less- with a few keystrokes- knock out something very similar, using AI." <<

If you're adept at prompts and don't care how many fingers the figure has. AI is fast, but it's not very accurate. Some AI art looks nice, at least in a quick glance. It just doesn't tend to have the coherence of human art, and it misses a lot of the subtle details that make art really memorable.

Re: Thoughts

[poliphilo]

I don't buy the anthropological definition. is a mediaeval altarpiece decorative? Are Goya's black paintings decorative?

I'm happier with the idea that it's self-expression made manifest- but does that cover a painting that you only made because the Pope required you to- like Michelangelo's work in the Sistine Chapel?

AI gets more accurate by the day. It's very rare now for it to give a character too many fingers-or too few. And if you want subtle details you can include them in your prompt.....