Using AI as a tool Good or Bad!

#AI #crtique #TheEntry #philiprwestcott #philipwestcott #salfordartist 

A few months ago I was accepted for an online art exhibition. As part of this I received a critique from the organizer but when I read it I realised the first three paragraphs were generated by AI and only the last paragraph, written by the organizer  felt correct. Recently it seems AI is becoming the norm and with a little free time on my hands I decided to have a play with it.
                        First I asked it to describe one of my paintings. Here are the results:

The Entry Oil Painting
Using Chatgpt.com

This painting portrays a narrow, gritty alleyway flanked by high brick walls on both sides. The perspective draws the viewer's eye down the alley, creating a sense of depth and confinement. The bricks are rendered in a range of earthy tones—orange, red, brown, and weathered gray—giving the walls a worn, urban feel. On the left, the bricks appear older and more deteriorated, with white paint or plaster fading and chipping away. The right wall is more intact but shows signs of age and grime.

Scattered debris lines the stone-paved alley floor, enhancing the sense of neglect. The alley leads to a hazy, distant background where the shapes of more buildings loom through the mist or fog, adding a melancholic or nostalgic atmosphere.

The style is realistic with expressive brushwork, capturing the texture of bricks and urban decay. Overall, the piece evokes feelings of isolation, nostalgia, or the beauty in forgotten, overlooked places. It has a quiet, contemplative mood—almost cinematic in its composition.

Using Gemini

​This painting captures a narrow alleyway nestled between brick buildings. The perspective draws your eye down the length of the alley, which appears to be paved with stone or concrete slabs.
The brickwork on either side displays a variety of colors, ranging from warm oranges and reds to cooler grays and muted blues, suggesting weathering and age. The wall on the left shows more signs of wear and tear, with loose bricks and debris scattered at its base. A pipe runs along this wall.
The wall on the right is more uniformly colored in warmer tones and is topped with a wire fence. Hints of greenery sprout along the base of both walls, adding a touch of life to the otherwise urban scene.
In the distance, the alleyway opens slightly, revealing a hazy, lighter area, perhaps indicating another street or an open space. The overall atmosphere of the painting is somewhat muted and industrial, yet the textures of the brick and the subtle variations in light and shadow add depth and visual interest.
 

Deciding to experiment further I asked for a critique, this meant the painting was just criticized and it was not what I wanted so I decided to change the wording to 'Be an art critic for this painting' and this proved more successful.

Using Gemini 

​This painting pulls you right into the narrow confines of a back alley, doesn't it? The artist has really captured that feeling of being enclosed by the towering brick walls on either side.
 
What strikes me first is the contrast in the textures and colours of the brickwork. On the left, the wall seems older, weathered, almost decaying, with patches of white and grey suggesting dampness or perhaps even remnants of old plaster. The bricks themselves are a mix of muted browns and greys, hinting at a long history.
 
In contrast, the wall on the right is a vibrant, almost fiery orange-red. The mortar lines are more distinct, and the bricks appear more uniform, giving it a sense of solidity and perhaps a more recent construction. This juxtaposition of the old and the seemingly newer creates an interesting visual dynamic and a sense of the passage of time.
 
The perspective is quite effective in drawing the viewer's eye down the alleyway. The converging lines of the walls and the slightly visible path suggest a journey into the unknown depths of the urban landscape. The light seems to be filtering in from somewhere beyond the frame, casting subtle shadows and highlighting the textures of the brick. There's a touch of mystery in not knowing what lies at the end of this passage.
 
The artist's brushstrokes appear somewhat loose and expressive, particularly in the rendering of the left wall, which adds to the feeling of decay and age. The details are not overly defined, allowing the viewer's imagination to fill in the gaps and create their own narrative about this space.
 
Overall, the painting evokes a sense of urban solitude and the hidden spaces that exist within a city. It makes you wonder about the stories these walls could tell and the lives that might have passed through this narrow passage. It's a compelling glimpse into a less glamorous but nonetheless real aspect of the urban environment.

Deciding to take this one step further i added 'Be an art critic for this painting and add links to other artist'

​This painting evokes a palpable sense of confinement and history, doesn't it? The narrow alleyway, flanked by weathered brick walls, draws the eye into the distance, creating a strong sense of perspective and depth. The artist has skilfully captured the texture of the aged bricks, with their varied hues of orange, brown, and even hints of blue and grey, suggesting years of exposure to the elements. The cobblestone path underfoot appears damp, reflecting the muted light filtering down from above, adding to the somewhat melancholic yet intriguing atmosphere.
 
The composition, with its converging lines and the suggestion of a hidden space beyond, reminds me of the atmospheric urban landscapes of Camille Pissarro, particularly his depictions of narrow Parisian streets. Like Pissarro, this artist focuses on the everyday, finding beauty and interest in the often-overlooked corners of a city. However, where Pissarro often employed a more Impressionistic, broken brushstroke to capture light and movement, this painting exhibits a more deliberate and perhaps slightly more textured application of paint.
 
One could also draw a parallel to the evocative alleyway scenes painted by John Atkinson Grimshaw, known for his nocturnal cityscapes bathed in moonlight. While this painting is clearly not a nocturne, it shares a similar ability to create a distinct mood through the interplay of light and shadow within an urban setting. The muted tones and the way the light catches the edges of the buildings create a sense of quietude, much like Grimshaw's lamplit streets.
 
Furthermore, the focus on architectural detail and the feeling of being enclosed within the urban fabric echoes some of the urban studies of early 20th-century American artists like Edward Hopper, although Hopper's work often carries a stronger sense of isolation and psychological weight. Here, while there's a certain stillness, there isn't the same overt sense of alienation. Instead, there's a feeling of history embedded within the very stones.
 
In essence, this painting successfully captures a specific atmosphere and perspective, inviting the viewer to contemplate the stories held within this narrow passage. While it shares thematic and compositional elements with artists like Pissarro, Grimshaw, and to a lesser extent Hopper, it possesses its own distinct character in its rendering of texture and light.

Summary

An interesting experiment and I think it shows how much AI has progressed in a few months. Quite scary really!