Van Gogh – An unrecognized artist during his lifetime, his works are only appreciated after his death. Out of deep friendship with his artist colleague Paul Gauguin, he painted the four world-famous sunflower pictures for his guest’s room, pictures that are now in the most renowned museums in the world. The two artists spent nine weeks together in the rented “Yellow House” in Arles to set up a kind of artist flat share. After a dispute with Gauguin, the well-known amputation of his ears occurred, which, according to two scientists, cannot be attributed to van Gogh. Gauguin is said to have made notes in advance about having his ear severed.
Van Gogh sold a single painting during his lifetime to his brother Theo, who supported him and paid for his painting materials. Although van Gogh owned little, he brought a destitute woman and her child into his home. His paintings, which I looked at in various museums, are “alive”, they are full of love and passion for painting, for people and for the landscape.
Banksy – A still-known, little-known street artist, political activist, and filmmaker. No one knows who he really is, except for those in the know. Arguably his most famous spray character is the rat, which can be seen on various walls and in many locations around the world. A critical artist who denounces the grievances of our time, including the millions of art dealers in works of art. The shredding of his painting “Girl with Balloon” at Sotheby’s auction made his criticism felt and his actions better known, the painting nevertheless sold for US$1.1 million after being shredded and after that the value increased and was auctioned for US$16 million. Banksy is also known for donating millions of dollars to various social projects.
In addition, he has no copyright on his works, anyone can do whatever they want with the copies of his spray paintings. A good example of his countless works was the exhibition in the tobacco factory in Linz. We are also showing a video in the exhibition and a few mixed media images as a homage to Banksy.
What do the two artists have in common? They are both artists and people, thinking of others and giving away what little or a lot of what they have.
AI, the artificial intelligence, which is currently the subject of controversial discussion in the media, is used by artists to draw inspiration from the AI-generated image for their own art. I was looking for an art AI and found a platform at hotpot.ai that generates an image based on a text I specified. I used different styles like Monet, Cézanne, Dali, Picasso, van Gogh, architecture, oil and watercolor technique. Some of the figures in the pictures looked artificial, doll-like and were partially disfigured, with several legs, hands or fingers. Nevertheless, a certain enthusiasm seized me because I like to tell stories in my paintings, I painted five oil and mixed media paintings that can be seen in the exhibition. In my opinion, it’s a quick tool, a tool, like a digital brush, that translates the artist’s idea. In my opinion, the copyright lies with the artist because it is his text and his pictorial elaboration, the AI only implements his idea according to the artist’s specifications. That’s it!
We invite you to engage with the topic in the exhibition. On this occasion you can create your own image with the AI.
Duration and opening hours: 07. – 22.10.2023, Sat and Sun 11 a.m. – 5 p.m
Opening on Saturday, October 7th, 2023, 7 p.m
