Glitch | schmit-kallas.com

6.14.2023

ode Maurits Cornelis Escher

Gemini Analysis:

The image you've uploaded, while an abstraction, shares several key characteristics with the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher, particularly his use of tessellations and optical illusions.

Tessellation and Repetition

A central feature of Escher's work is the concept of tessellation, where shapes fit together perfectly without any gaps or overlaps to create a repeating pattern. The image here exhibits this principle. The central white shape, which is somewhat star-like, is surrounded by a network of interlocking, puzzle-like forms. These shapes seem to connect at various points, creating a seamless, interconnected design.

Distortion and Optical Illusion

The lines in the image are not perfectly straight; they have a subtle, wavy quality and a gradient of colors that creates a sense of depth and distortion. This echoes Escher's famous works that play with perspective and reality, such as Relativity or Ascending and Descending. While the image doesn't create an impossible structure like Escher's more complex pieces, the subtle warping of the lines and the way the shapes appear to move outward from the center creates a similar feeling of an altered perspective.

Focus on Negative Space

Escher was a master of using both positive and negative space to create his images. The central white shape in your image is a great example of this. It's the primary subject, but its form is defined entirely by the lines and shapes around it. This is a common technique in Escher's work, where a figure and its background can often swap roles, or where one shape seamlessly transforms into another.

Is this art?

Determining if something is "art" is a complex and subjective question, as the definition of art has evolved over time. However, based on the provided images and the general understanding of art, here is an analysis.

Yes, the images can be considered art.

Analysis of the Images

Abstract Art: Both images are examples of abstract art. Abstract art uses a visual language of shape, form, color, and line to create a composition that may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. The images do not represent a specific, recognizable subject but instead focus on colors, textures, and patterns.
Digital Medium: The images are created digitally, which is a common and growing form of contemporary art. Digital tools allow artists to experiment with an infinite range of colors and textures to create complex, layered compositions that would be difficult to achieve with traditional media.
Evoking Emotion and Ideas: Abstract art aims to provoke thought and evoke emotions without dictating a specific subject or narrative. For example, the first image with its jagged shapes and bold colors feels energetic and chaotic, while the second image with its pastel background and geometric shapes has a more whimsical and surreal quality. The surreal quality is further supported by the bizarre juxtapositions and biomorphic shapes.

What Makes Something Art?

The question "Is this art?" is often debated, but most definitions agree on a few key points:

Human Imagination and Creative Process: Art is generally considered to be anything created through human imagination that conveys emotion or was inspired by emotion. There is an intention behind the creation of the piece to communicate an idea or simply to be visually pleasing.
Expression: Art is a form of expression. It allows artists to express feelings, ideas, and experiences that may be difficult to put into words.
Subjectivity: Ultimately, the appreciation of art is subjective. As the saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". A piece can challenge a person's definition of what art can be, and the ideas behind a work can be as important as the work itself.

6.13.2023

Madonna and Child - Modern Figures

Analysis provided by Gemini

Visual Elements and Analysis:

Subject: The central figures are a woman holding what seems to be a child. The woman has an intense, almost unsettling stare with wide, pale eyes. Her mouth is slightly ajar. The child figure is represented by a stylized, smiling face, reminiscent of a smiley emoji, complete with a small halo. This juxtaposition of the woman's pained or serious expression with the child's cheerful emoji-like face creates a striking and somewhat surreal effect.
Color Palette: The color scheme is warm and vibrant, dominated by shades of peach, orange, brown, and turquoise. The background and figures are rendered with a painterly texture, featuring vertical lines that suggest a digital "glitch" or a streaky paint application. These lines are particularly prominent in the background and on the woman's face and clothing, adding to the digital or distorted aesthetic.
Style: The style is abstract and expressive, blending elements of portraiture with a more modern, digital-art feel. The use of simplified forms, bold outlines, and the "glitch" effect gives the piece a contemporary and slightly unsettling quality. It evokes a sense of both the sacred (the halo and the Madonna-and-child archetype) and the profane or modern (the emoji, the digital distortion).
Composition: The figures are centrally placed, occupying most of the frame. The composition is a close-up, focusing on the intimate connection between the two subjects, although the nature of that connection is ambiguous due to their contrasting expressions.
Possible Interpretations: The artwork could be a commentary on motherhood, spirituality, or the modern digital age. The combination of the classic "Madonna and Child" motif with contemporary symbols like the emoji suggests a reflection on how traditional icons and relationships are perceived or represented in a technology-saturated world. The woman's anxious expression could represent the burdens or complexities of modern life, while the emoji child could symbolize a superficial or digitally mediated version of happiness and innocence.

Overall, the piece is a thought-provoking and visually engaging work that uses a unique blend of traditional and contemporary elements to create a powerful and ambiguous statement.

9.30.2022

Red Rock petroglyphs & pictographs, Nevada

Five years ago, looking 800 years into the past.

9.04.2022

What will happen to Art, now that AI entered the Art scene?

The images below are attributed to an original AI image generator through the Midjourney Beta project on Discord.

What do you think of Rembrandt's philosopher reading? It's one of my favorite paintings.

Well, I created an experiment to see what exactly an AI can create through the translation of my text input into the app. Given only my literal and description the bot generated 4 images literally translating "a philosopher reading in bed next to a lamp on the night stand". The resemblance to the original was eerily closer than I expected. The color and and shadows make up for what the images lack in human facial features. The end piece wasn't terrible, but in a way I think it is av vanguard both programmatically and emotionally (I was very excited to participate in the Beta).

A library full of animals

"Looking out the window at a plumeria tree"

With the advent of what has become a well known and popular site. It takes about 60 seconds for your image to be rendered. You can increase the resolution and use keywords like gothic, modern, or futuristic; several requests used words like Van Gogh Style (with results resembling starry night).

The newbies who join get 25 free images, after that you must pick up a paid subscription.

Given my infatuation with digital art I'm very excited, while others may view this as a loss, I instead see this as an opportunity to revel in a new era of digital automation.

Looking to see what artists think? Well here are some links: