Zarard-Reading03

Portrait of Cara Walker by Chuck Close

Effective Complexity

I like Chuck Close paintings. These exhibit effective complexity because the shapes and orientation of the grid is random. The colors are semi-random and rotate between skin tones and pure saturated hues. But the subject and content is always portraiture which is what gives his work order. If i had to choose his work does lie more towards having order, but the fact that you can’t identify a pattern to the color choices is what helps his work flourish in chromatic chaos.

The Problem of Meaning

Should generative art be about more than generative systems? This issue in the chapter takes a very strong “what art should be” approach. I personally think that art should always go beyond just being about the process, function, and properties of art. In my practice, art is a statement. If you aren’t saying something then what are you really contributing? This applies more so in the case of generative systems because the code and the autonomy are just a means to an end. The real fascination lies in what the code and autonomy is able to speak, and if it’s something that people couldn’t speak for themselves.