Towards a Genealogy of Art and “The Automatic”

Abstract

This paper concerns the relation of art and artistic work to the mechanical and automatic, to machines and automation, in certain historical constellations. It is divided into five sections. The first section discusses how in the early 20th century, long before computers and AI, a relation already existed between artistic creativity and the automatic. The second then considers experiments in simulating artistic style that were conducted in the 1960s. The third presents some theoretical reflections on the non-automatability of artistic work. The fourth outlines the situation today and, based on a paper by Hal Foster, applies the notion of “style without museums.” The fifth and final section offers a short conclusion, following a reading of an artwork created by the artist Actress with the AI system “Young Paint.” The paper is a first step toward an as-yet-unwritten genealogy of art and “the automatic.”