I set up a few rules for this one:
- Use a 21cm * 21cm canvas.
- Randomly use a color to fill the background.
- Using another different color, draw 12 lines at random. The lines must cross the entire canvas.
- Using another different than previous 2 colors, draw 11 line segments. The ends of each line must be on the first line drawn
- Use another color to connect the points formed by the intersection of the lines in the previous two steps, so that there are only triangles in the picture, and no intersection with other lines is allowed.
The fifth rule didn’t exist at the first, but after I tried it a few times. I found the picture to be a little spacey. I wanted a richer picture, so I added a fifth.
Here are the images I generated following those rules:
And these are the images generated by my friends:
In the process of having my friends paint these pieces. I didn’t tell them all the rules at once, but one by one. Only tell them the next one after each rule is complete. It’s very interesting to watch their frustrated faces when they hear the last rule. : )
One of them said he feels like he’s getting sucked into his own painting.
Another said she was very happy to be a modern artist.
I appreciate the way you revealed the rules to others one at a time. This approach still allows the artist freedom within the constraints, but it also forces them to create the piece somewhat reactively, as they are unable to plan too far in advance.
Did anything, in particular, inspire you to create this ruleset? I think many of the results remind me of crystalline shapes, and I wonder if there was some intention to what the final result might look like.
Hi, Josian.
I was inspired by creating works with lines that we talked about in class.
There was no intention actually, I’m even looking forward to seeing something other than intersecting lines, like lines that are all parallel. But no one does it.
I was truck by how well the artwork ended up coming out! It looks super cool.
Was there any reason you chose the dimensions of the canvas that you assigned?
Hi, Tim.
The reason is just that when I try to change the unit to cm in windows paint the default number I get is 21.1cm. So I round it to 21cm.
I would agree with those that tried these instructions, thank you! The work is so complex visually but the fact that there are instructions leading you into a space that is so different than what I would expect to draw myself if told to just work with lines. the steps guide you while also allowing so much room to make the piece entirely your own. These structures give me peace as then seems to always be supporting another beam in some way.
Like Josiah, I love the slow reveal of the rules. He nailed it calling it “reactive”. I was struck with how the rules seem to be revealed in the artwork. For instance, it seems like if I tried, I could identify what the rules were without knowing them after the fact. This is a really interesting possibility space. It is almost like the rules are the painter and the people are merely minions or “computers” doing the work of the painter. What was the experience that you wanted people to have? Was there a deeper commentary that you were striving for? I am intrigued.