Forget acrylics and oil on canvas, there is a new medium that artists across the globe have embraced enthusiastically. Artificial Intelligence has given rise to a new artform — algorithms which are used to drum up paintings, music and even videos. Using AI algorithms, one can either imitate an old masterpiece or create a new one from scratch. This technology doesn’t require much skill, there is software in the market which helps in producing art via AI.
The traditional art world has been upended with algorithmically produced artwork which is doing the rounds of heavyweight auction houses. In India, the art industry is estimated to be $250 million.
We list down the top AI generated art deals of 2018:
Christie’s Auction
Edmond Belamy Portrait- Christie’s Images
One of the oldest art auction house, founded in 1766 grabbed headlines when it made a groundbreaking sale of an AI generated artwork. In its auction at New York, Christie’s presented the first AI portrait to the world. The portrait was of Edward Belamy created by an AI algorithm called Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN). According to reports, it was expected to be bought at $10,000 but it sold for $432,500. In the case of Edmond’s, it was fed with 15,000 portraits and then it generated a painting based on the set.
Nature Morte, Delhi
Electric Fan By Tom White
Gradient Descent, an art auction in New Delhi was a huge success for the gallery in September. It was a group show which was done in collaboration with seven international artists who made portraits with the help of AI algorithms. Aparajita Jain, gallery director said, “We couldn’t afford to ignore the field of AI-made art because of how we believe it is going to impact the art world. And while I was initially shocked to find out how far AI has already come in the creative field. The show was to alert artists about AI and its practice in the field.” the show received a phenomenal reception in India. Two prints by Tom White have already been sold.
AI Lab at Rutgers
The art and AI lab at Rutgers is a research-based institute which works to converge AI into art domain. The AI algorithm the lab uses is dubbed Creative Adversarial Networks (CAN) which generates art by deviating from style norms. The lab has produced numerous painting and has garnered much appreciation from renowned art galleries like Artsy. The lab has also collaborated with HBO’s series Silicon Valley, which depicted art form created by the lab. A TV segment on the lab won an Emmy for “ Best Arts News”.
Procreate 4.2
The AI-generated art is no longer restricted to art galleries. Procreate is an application developed for iOS especially iPad which helps in creating art from doodles and random shapes. The app has been used to create many portraits. The app’s USP is its liquified dynamics, giving each design an artistic touch. Also, one can change the distortion and momentum of the objects in their art and design. The app can be operated by the new Apple pencil which provides precise control over minuscule details.
