Many artists fear AI, envisioning their own obsolescence. Yet, they overlook the fact that artists were already "replaced" back in 1864 with the invention of the camera.

AI can free artists, just like Abstraction did.

Abstraction and AI Art Free the Artist

Within the realm of art, Clement Greenberg, a prominent art critic, emphasized the liberating power of abstraction, freeing artists from the stifling confines of the canvas. Greenberg likened the canvas to a ‘carved box’ on a wall, a restrictive space that hampers the boundless imagination of artists.

He wanted us to see that the canvas is like a tiny prison for artists' imaginations. Abstraction gave rise to new artistic movements, fueling creative euphoria that topped the auction charts, with a single painting from De Kooning raising 30 million in a Sotheby's auction in 2019.

Greenberg's proposition advocates that abstraction breaks down creative barriers, transforming the canvas into a vibrant playground. It becomes a realm where artists can unleash their creativity, defy conventional rules, and embark on daring journeys into unexplored artistic territories.

In my opinion, the abstract canvas presents its own set of limitations. 

As an example, one notable aspect of Rothko's paintings is the minimal diversity between them. While each piece may feature subtle variations in color and tonal intensity, the overall composition and arrangement of the rectangular forms remain relatively consistent throughout his body of work. This deliberate repetition of rectangular shapes and forms creates a sense of unity and cohesion within his artistic oeuvre.

So, you could say that Rothko's paintings aren't completely one-of-a-kind. If you're familiar with his art, you'd recognize a Rothko and see that his style stays pretty consistent. 

See Rothko's from Google below.

While it is impressive that Roktho, like Paul Cezanne, could paint the same thing repeatedly and still produce one-of-a-kind works. This realization leads me to understand that it’s not a specific style that possesses infinite possibilities, but rather it is the medium that holds this remarkable quality. 

Origami and the Infinite

Take origami, for example. It starts with a boring square piece of paper, but with some folding magic, it can transform into countless intricate forms. Robert Lang, a pioneer in computational Origami, posits that a piece of paper can be folded into an infinite number of shapes. Folding and manipulating the paper lets the artist go beyond the paper’s finite, square limitations.

The emergence of AI has introduced yet another infinite dimension, another square form for the artist.

Just as abstraction liberated artists from the square confines of the canvas, AI image generators have opened up exciting avenues for artists, enabling them to create entirely novel and fantastical creations that defy conventional reality. 

The vast spectrum of artworks generated by AI within the confines of the limited substrate, previously referred to as the "carved box," is truly astonishing.

How AI Art Breaks the Confines of the Canvas

Just like origami, the algorithms used in AI art can generate endless possibilities.

A seed is a starting image used by an image generator. It is supposed to be incoherent and nonsensical, just like white noise on a broken TV screen. Every AI-generated image is a combination of a prompt and a seed. So in theory, the same exact prompt will have different outputs because every seed will be different.

A seed is a 32-bit value. With 10 bits, you have a thousand possible seeds at your fingertips. Double that to 20 bits, and you've got a million values to play with. Now, with 30 bits, you can unleash a billion possibilities. With 32 bits, you have over four billion possible seeds.

Artists can dedicate their entire lives to exploring a single prompt and never see all the possibilities. And there is a high probability that they'd only produce the same image twice on purpose.

Since August 22, 2022, I have seen beautiful and uncanny images and videos that I never knew could exist, things that never existed before.

Artists can explore new styles and weird aesthetics and even create completely unheard-of art forms.

We can contrast concepts and forms. Paint ideas. Imagine alternate realities. Imagine things we never could have imagined on our own, but still based on human experiences.

It's like setting our creativity free from traditional boundaries.

In conclusion, AI art represents a new chapter in the history of artistic liberation. We should embrace change and not be afraid of it.

Just as abstraction freed artists from the constraints of the canvas, AI art empowers creators to break free from abstraction, transcend, and explore uncharted territories of artistic expression.