Two Different Art Experiences #138

As the reader may recall there was a recent post about graffiti and street art. I started to appreciate it more once I learned the code. In this case, the artist was doing a commissioned piece that looks as if the artist is climbing out of the piece onto the wall. There is a lot of detail from the lettering to the shadow at the top and the active spray painting and the North Face bag. There is a lot going on in the piece. 

The next day we went to the Frick Museum on the Upper East Side. Among the dozens of classic paintings, the one that stood out the most to me was Rembrandt’s self-portrait. There was a lot I didn’t know so it was helpful to have the audio guide to provide information and details. There are about 80 self-portraits from about 1626 to 1669. The evolution from a confident young man to an old and aging artist is stark.

Likewise, painting has evolved. What was once only on a canvas, often very small, can be huge and take up an entire wall of a building. There is still the detail, the “code” to interpret the meanings, and the sense of awe that art can inspire. 

As we enter into a new age of artificial intelligence, I wonder what will happen to art. Can AI produce masterpieces? And if so, should it? It took about 400 years to move from the classic Rembrandt to graffiti and it makes me wonder what the next years will bring.