TARTGET MAGAZINE

Painting and Technology in 2024 (Part I)

AI-generated art and its fusion with traditional painting is one of the biggest revolutions in contemporary art. Artists are using these disruptive tools to generate ideas and visuals that they then interpret on their canvases. The threat has turned into an incentive for reinvention. The same has happened with the use of augmented reality (AR). TarTget Magazine has tracked some examples.
Sougwen Chung

Artificial Intelligence as an Ally

The symbiosis established between AI and art goes beyond using an artificially generated image as a model. Here are some outstanding examples. Artists who have embraced the forefront of new technologies applied to traditional painting techniques:

Mario Klingemann

An AI-generated portrait that evolves in real time. Klingemann has been a pioneer, and his works influence a new generation of painters who integrate algorithms into their creative process. Although his work is purely digital, he has inspired artists who use AI to generate sketches or textures that they then translate into physical painting.

Mario Kingemann
Mario Klingemann. "Memories of Passersby I" (2019)

Sougwen Chung

Chung collaborates with AI-driven robots that “paint” alongside her. Although she works with robots, she directly influences contemporary physical painting, as Chung and other artists use AI-generated data to create works that combine the human touch with algorithms, demonstrating how coexistence between the two is possible.

Sougwen Chung
Sougwen Chung. "Drawing Operations" (2022)

New Techniques in 2024

Artists like Anna Ridler are combining AI with natural pigments and physical textures to generate data-based works, representing the ultimate fusion between digital and manual. One of her most recent pieces explores the relationship between plant growth patterns and machine learning algorithms, creating hybrid paintings

Anna Ridler
Anna Ridler. Myriad (Tulips). (2018)

Augmented Reality (AR)

AR is taking painting to a new dimension. In 2024, there are several artists who are using this technology to expand their works beyond the canvas. The result is the interaction of viewers with virtual layers.

An AR artwork that extends Kaws’ sculptures into the digital realm. Although he is better known for his work in sculpture and painting, Kaws has led the integration of AR in painting. In 2024, we have seen works come to life, adding movement and narrative to static compositions

Kaws
Kaws. "Expanded Holiday" (2020)

Julie Blackmon

Viewers can see how the characters depicted in Blackmon’s domestic scenes move. The settings also change, overlaying virtual narratives onto physical paintings.

Julie Blackmon
Julie Blackmon. "AR Dreams" (2023)

Ismael Terriza
@terrizareguillos