STUBBS in the AGE of AI - introduction

This collection, a subset of a larger multiyear AI Diary project from the same author,  leverages the AI platform MidJourney to create images from text descriptions of mundane tasks.  The output is subsequently enriched, also in MidJourney, through recombinations and stylistic references to the aesthetic of  the 18th century English painter George Stubbs.   While Stubbs is widely celebrated for his equestrian paintings, the tool reveals a more expansive reference to his oeuvre (1), incorporating initially unexpected depictions of rhinoceroses, leopards, and other animals.  Known for his portraits not of animals as a generic example of their type, but specific individuals such as the racehorse portraits of Whistlejacket & Hambletonian, the sense of unique personalities resonates through the majority of the images - especially those rendered as portraits versus incorporated into a broader landscape scene.  In many cases, such as the image shown here Horse Faced Girl in a Leather Jacket  the final piece retains the underlying scene of the original prompt (Person making  pasta fagioli soup). In others, such as Dancing with The Centaur the origin scene is lost or heavily veiled into an even more fantastical presentation. 

These surreal compositions blend human and animal,  historic and modern, reality and fantasy to produce dreamlike, hybrid scenes.   Merging traditional artistic influences with modern AI techniques, the process generates works that are deeply evocative and emotionally resonant.  In the attached gallery, ChatGPT was also used to provide a virtual curator's interpretation of meaning.  

Source:

(1) Jones, J.  (2016, June 23) Stubbs and the Wild Review - a radical world vision seen through animal eyes.  The Guardian