Artistic Movements As Creative Prompt – A Midjourney Experiment

To illustrate the power of the latest in Artificial Intelligence creativity, what follows is an exploration of how one of these algorithms interprets artistic movements and artist styles. Consider it a “guide” of sorts to how the interpretation and composition changes with each. The illustrations below were all created using Midjourney and based on the prompt “childhood dreams.” From there, each illustration will either represent the style of a specific artist or an art movement. The prompt was either “childhood dreams, in the style of [artist name]” or “childhood dreams, in the [art movement] style.” That’s it.

Why?

Art movements can be seen as snapshots of history, capturing the zeitgeist of a particular time and place. From the delicate watercolors of the Pre-Raphaelites to the bold abstractions of the Cubists, each art movement reflects the unique concerns and preoccupations of its era. In this way, art movements provide us with a window into the past, revealing the hopes, fears, and dreams of generations past. As a result, each movement communicates uniquely.

While some may argue that such labels are reductive, they can also provide a useful way to understand and appreciate the work of different artists. Ultimately, whether an artist follows a particular style or philosophy is less important than the finished product itself. What matters is that the artwork speaks to the viewer on a personal level, regardless of its origins or history.

And so, our ability to harness the essence of these artists and art movement styles via artificial intelligence represents a unique kind of breakthrough in our ability to access them to frame and present current concepts. AI presents us with the ability to view and analyze different styles in a way that we never could before. There’s little question in my mind that the ability to access different artists and art movement approaches via artificial intelligence is a unique and powerful tool.

Why Not?

However, I might be compelled to argue that this access will come at a cost. After all, by depending on AI to give us these styles, we risk losing something essential about the art itself. We risk losing the humanity, the creativity, and the passion that went into creating it. In other words, we risk losing what makes art so special in the first place. Sure, AI can help us access different styles and present concepts in new ways. But at the end of the day, it’s up to us to decide whether or not that’s worth sacrificing what makes art remarkable in the first place.

We cannot simply stop the growth of artificial intelligence in any area, however. To do so would be irresponsible and negligent. We must be responsible as we advance AI, charting its course as it grows and expands. Only then can we ensure that its emergence benefits humanity as a whole. And that means we must understand it. We have to fully understand what it can do and what it can’t do. It’s in that spirit of learning and exploration that this post is written.

Artistic Movements

I’ve attempted to cover as many of the major art movements as possible. I’m sure I’ve missed a few. Each image below was generated using the prompt: childhood dreams, in the [art movement] style –ar 16:9. No other prompts were used to supplement this discovery. The images you see here were the first returned thumbnail renders in each instance. I did not attempt to refine the suggestions.

Individual Artist Styles

I’ve not attempted to cover a significant number of different artists, just a sampling to show the impact that an individual artist’s style has on creative output when used in a prompt. Each image below was generated using the prompt: childhood dreams, in the style of [artist name] –ar 16:9. No other prompts were used to supplement this discovery. The images you see here were the first returned thumbnail renders in each instance. I did not attempt to refine the suggestions.

Some Upscaled Samples Of Select Images

If you’ve scrolled this far, I suppose this is bonus content. Here is a sampling of my favorite upscaled images from the thumbnail examples shown above.

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