What Is Generative Art?

Automatically generating art means that if you carefully observe what artists and scientists do with computers, it is to give computers autonomy, design certain rules to let them play freely, and get unrepeatable and beautiful results. In the end, this method of artistic creation was called "Generative Art".

Auto Generate Art

The works of art in this category are all the results of human wisdom and machine labor.

According to New York University Philip Galanter's 2003 paper "What is" Auto-Generated Art "? It explains that the art of automatic generation is "the artist uses a computer program, or a series of natural language rules, or a machine, or other inventions, to produce a process with a certain degree of self-control. Artwork ".

Automatically generate artistic features

In another paper, Galanter summarized the four characteristics of auto-generated art:
1. Auto-generating art involves using "randomization" to create combinations;
2. Auto-generating art involves using "genetic systems" to produce formal evolution;
3. Auto-generated art is an art that changes continuously with time;
4. Auto-generated art created by code running on a computer.

Not only that, he also explored the connection between complex theory and the art form. Generally speaking, the "complexity" of a complex system is not the level of complexity that people usually refer to, but a structure composed of multiple simple units. Through non-linear interactions, collective behavior occurs. For Galantel, autogenous art is itself in the context of a complex theory. Artists have explored highly orderly automatic generation methods, as well as completely disordered automatic generation methods-including genetic algorithms, L-System commonly used in automatic fractal art, emerging phenomena, and more.

Automatically generate artistic effects

Auto-generated art has profoundly influenced the thinking of many digital products.

Among them, the computer game "Spore" released in 2008 reflects the idea of automatically generating art-the game puts the player in a system, conforms to the rules of the system, allows the creatures inside to evolve, and then produces a highly complex civilization ; Each time the player can randomly create characters in the game and freely match the racial characteristics, each action of the player will affect the subsequent development of the race that he controls; each time you start playing Spore again, the game world will occur The creatures inside have changed. If "Spore" can run automatically, then it is itself a work of art.

Game-Spore

The game designer of Spore is the legendary Will Wright, who designed a simulated city series that allows players to unknowingly recognize complex theories. No matter how the players plan roads, buildings, accommodation areas, commercial areas, water supply systems, power systems and other relatively independent subsystems, it will affect the overall performance of a system-that is, the performance of players in the game.

In mobile applications, some developers and designers also develop software through the idea of "automatically generating art." Deko ^[4] , developed by Jaakko Tuomivaara and Johan Halin, uses several specific combinations to randomly generate wallpapers-theoretically, Deko can draw an infinite number of different wallpapers. Harlem has also set up a website to collect user-generated wallpapers that conform to human aesthetics.