Abstract
Over the past years, artificial intelligence (AI) has quickly made its mark on the creation of images. Since its appearance, there have been debates about the use of these technologies within art and the question of the authenticity of images created by it. AI produced art challenges the idea of originality as it is based on other images. Even though the use of AI is new, the principle and issue of images based on images can be traced back centuries ago to the Graeco-Roman period. In antiquity, a push for a universal Greek identity after the Persian war unified the region. Ideal images of the goddess Artemis started to reflect this universalizing trend. Literature formed the foundation of this new iconography, transforming the vivid details within the stories to actual images. The works of art captured the essence of the goddess and gave her a sense of life. However later on, this divine presence disappeared in Artemis imagery due to the passing of time and the reproduction of the images. This is where AI and antiquity meet. I argue that AI produced art and representations of Artemis are both empty images, failing to reflect a sense of inner life due to being images based on other images. By dissecting the world of AI and linking it to antiquity, it becomes clear how images are viewed and understood. Where the ideal shell remains, the image itself becomes a void, only echoing hints to other images.
Presenters
Kyra RietveldAssistant Professor of Art History, Department of Art and Visual Culture, Centenary College of Louisiana, Louisiana, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Images and Imaginaries from Artificial Intelligence
KEYWORDS
Antiquity, Artemis, Iconography, AI, Repetition, Graeco-Roman, Authenticity, Simulacrum, Idealism
