Demystifying Generative Art

<h1>1. Definitions</h1> <p><em>(Those already familiar with Long Form Generative art may want to skip to chapter 2)</em></p> <h2><strong>What is generative art</strong></h2> <ol> <li>Strictly speaking the term Generative art refers to art created by utilizing the influence of an autonomous system. Typically this is a non-human system which will determine certain features of an artwork. The generative artist in this definition therefore gives up some degree of artistic control to a system external to themselves.</li> <li>A newer common definition of generative art that I will refer to in this essay is art created using a computer scripted algorithm. The autonomous system in this definition is typically computer generated randomness*. However in this algorithmic class of generative art, randomness is typically less of a means of surrendering artistic control, and more of a means of exploring the potential variety contained in an algorithm.</li> </ol> <p><em>Strictly speaking this is pseudo-randomness, but the technicalities of randomness are beyond the scope of this essay. In this essay when I refer to randomness I actually mean pseudo-randomness.</em></p> <h2><strong>What is an algorithm</strong></h2> <p>An algorithm can be thought of as a recipe. Computers are dumb in the sense they need very unambiguous recipes to perform certain actions. They cannot interpret a vague instruction like &mdash; cut two slices of bread &mdash; without having precisely defined contextual &lsquo;knowledge&rsquo;. This knowledge might be coordinates and a path through space which determines a slice; A velocity and path of the slicing action; A time to execute the slicing; A command to perform once the slicing is done; What to do if the number of slices cannot be cut from the remaining loaf&hellip; and so on. The computer cannot think for itself in this analogy. AI could potentially provide a means of interpreting a less precisely defined recipe but I&rsquo;m going to limit the scope of this essay to talking about non AI generative art. So an algorithm is just a finite sequence of rigorous instructions. Those instructions in generative art are ultimately to change pixel color values within a defined area to create an artwork image.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/@harvey.rayner/demystifying-generative-art-e43e296d19c0"><strong>Visit Now</strong></a></p>