The recent exponential development of artificial intelligence has had cynics and skeptics reeling with angst. Having so quickly permeated society, everything from an immediate effect on jobs to a cataclysmic Terminator-type rebellion against humanity is being uttered ubiquitously.
While we will refrain from endorsing the prophets of doom, there’s no doubt that most people felt AI’s capabilities were the contents of a far-away future rather than that of our current day. Yet, for all the potential perils that are being propagated, AI undoubtedly also has the ability to perform some innocuous and miraculous feats.
With its ability to learn from experience and perform human-like tasks in a fraction of the time, AI can be used to accelerate the creative process and bring any idea to life in seconds. Things we would love to see in real life but may not have the means or the magic to do so can be realized in the blink of an eye.
Take one of history’s most famous artists Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh’s art has inspired and intrigued millions around the world. Today his works like The Bedroom can be found in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago hosts frequent exhibitions of his work and life, and immersive Vincent van Gogh experiences pop up around the country offer a modern digital spin on the renowned painter.
But, having never made it to America himself, you may whimsically wonder if the streets of Chicago would have been deemed as worthy a subject as the streets of Arles or the skies of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence.
With the abilities of AI, these starry-eyed speculations and abstract reveries can, to some extent, be entertained and executed. In our own whimsical tests and trials of AI, we decided to do just this. Putting it through its paces, we asked Tome, the world’s first AI generative storytelling format, to reimagine Chicago through the eyes of some of history’s most famous artists and the results exceeded our expectations.
From Vincent van Gogh to Leonardo da Vinci, here is Chicago reimagined by famous artists using artificial intelligence:
Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890)
Who else to start with other than the aforementioned tormented genius? The famed Dutch painter who posthumously became a household name and one of the most influential figures in the history of art was the first name we put to the test. Though we know full well The Starry Night has been edited into most skylines on the planet today, we wanted AI to give a go themselves without complete replication.
His depiction of light and landscape are some of the most recognizable but also some of the hardest to replicate. Artificial Intelligence applied his well-known thick dramatic stroked and bold outlines here to the extent that you may not think twice if you saw it sat alongside The Bedroom in our very own Art Institute of Chicago.
Edward Hopper (1882–1967)
Another artist whose work can be found at the Art Institute of Chicago, Edward Hopper’s paintings are of a more subtle nature. The subdued drama that emanates from everyday occurrences found in his Nighthawks painting can be seen here too with isolated and intriguing characters piquing the interest of the viewer.
The image has been created using Hopper’s renowned use of shadow and light in urban environments. You can see his fascination with windows, buildings, and the architecture we encounter every day through the corner of a storefront being the focal point of the painting.
Salvador Dalí (1904–1989)
You can’t help but admire the ingenuity of AI when faced with a task like reimagining Chicago through the eyes of Salvador Dalí. The Catalan artist is undoubtedly one of the most famous surrealist painters to have ever lived and trying to channel his creative eccentricities is almost impossible.
AI has used Dali’s elements of the absurd to contort and warp various elements of architecture around the Chicago River in true surrealist form. Alas, no melting clocks but I suppose that would have been too easy.
Pablo Picasso (1881–1973)
While many of history’s most famous artists might never have made it to the Windy City, it is well known that Picasso had a great affection for Chicago. To the extent that one of Chicago’s most famous public art pieces was gifted to the city by the Spanish artist himself.
According to Chicago.gov, in a dedication letter, Picasso gave the sculpture as a gift to the people of Chicago but never explained what the sculpture was intended to represent. He rejected payment of $100,000 insisting that it was a gift to the people of Chicago.
The painting created by AI above has a clear representation of the Chicago Riverwalk, the surrounding architecture, and even Millenium Park’s beloved Bean making an appearance all through Piccaso’s abstract geometric style known as Cubism!
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918)
The shimmering golden tapestries created by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt are perhaps not so easily fused with the bustling energy of the Chicago Riverwalk. Add to that the fact his primary subject was eroticism and the female body and it might represent a challenge in creating a Chicago landscape with evident Klimt touches.
AI exceeded expectations here, however, to such an extent that we had to include two paintings of Chicago through the eyes of Gustav Klimt. A seemingly quiet moment on the Chicago River has been adorned with Klimt’s concentric circles and elegant decorative touches of the Vienna Secession style while the second channels his gold leaf technique and intertwines human figures into the Chicago skyline.
Grant Wood (1891 – 1942)
We’re not going to turn down another chance to champion the Chicago art scene once again. Here we gave AI the task of creating a painting by the artist behind the famed 1930 painting American Gothic which resides in the Art Institute of Chicago.
An artist who was best known for his paintings of the rural Midwest AI has managed to create a Grant Wood from a Chicago highrise looking over a strangely shaped lakefront. You can see the color pastels and colored chalk touches used by Grant Wood to here reimagine the activity around Lake Michigan.
Rembrandt (1606–1669)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, more frequently referred to just as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter who quickly came to be considered one of the greatest visual artists in the history of art.
Renowned for his dramatic atmospheres and paintings of historical narratives with an incredible use of light and shade, AI has here created a Rembrandt scene taking place one evening on the Chicago River. The city skyline sits illuminated in the background looming over shadowy figures crossing a dimly lit area of the river.
Claude Monet (1840–1926)
Another titan of art, the 19th-century Impressionist Claude Monet is today particularly well-known for his series of serene water lily paintings. While there are no lilies here, you can here see the soft brushstrokes and delicate textures used to portray the incandescent beauty of a Chicago sunrise. Monet’s love of natural light can be seen both bathing the Chicago skyline and glinting off the Chicago River.
Georges Seurat (1859–1891)
The Art Institute of Chicago’s very own A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte is clearly evident in this AI reimagining of the Chicago lakefront. People sit and stand overlooking Lake Michigan as the John Hancock Center stands at an apex in the background all created using Seurat’s Pointillism along with his vibrant use of primary colors.
Henri Matisse (1869–1954)
One of the greatest colorists of the modern art movement, Henri Matisse was far from associated with landscape paintings let alone urban environments. He rose to fame for his expressive language of color and drawing alongside intricate patterns.
We couldn’t help but put AI to the test and create a painting of Chicago through the eyes of Matisse and we’re elated that we did. The artist who once expressed that he sought to create art that would be “a soothing, calming influence on the mind, rather like a good armchair” shines through this AI reimagining with its stunning use of bold contrasting colors.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
Last of all, we simply had to see what AI made of the illustrious multi-talented Renaissance polymath behind the world’s most famous painting, the Mona Lisa, and the most expensive painting ever sold, the Salvator Mundi.
Were he ever to have stepped foot in Chitown and found a moment between working on The Last Supper and studying just about everything there is to study under the sun, this is what may have found its way into a sketchbook alongside the Vitruvian Man. According to AI at least.