‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ Made by Artificial Intelligence Leads to Controversy
Artificial intelligence is causing opposing voices in every industry it enters. The last example of this is the art world. The portrait of “Girl with a Pearl Earring” created by artificial intelligence caused controversy in the art world.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is having a profound impact on every industry it enters and is controversial. The last example of this was the art community. The painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” by Johannes Vermeer in the golden age of the Netherlands is one of the most well-known paintings in the history of art. The painting, which has been in the Mauritshuis collection in The Hague since 1902, now has an AI-created “rival”.
AI Girl with a Pearl Earring Hangs in a Respectable Museum
The ownership of the AI painting by digital artist Julian van Dieken has sparked controversy. Questions have been raised as to whether the painting belongs to the prestigious Mauritshuis collection and whether it can be considered art from its origins, France 24 reported. While Julian van Dieken named the painting “My Girl with a Pearl”, Mauritshuis requested that this version be sent to them. The painting is currently on display in the Mauritshuis.
“It’s controversial, so people are for or against it. The people who chose it knew that the painting was made by artificial intelligence and they liked it, so we liked the creation. That’s why we chose it and hung it,” Mauritshuis spokesman Boris de Munnick told AFP. said. Julian van Dieken, who made the painting, said that he used the productive AI tool Midjourney and Photoshop, and said, “It’s surreal to see it in a museum.”
Discussions Have Flared
Dutch artist Iris Compiet wrote on the Mauritshuis exhibition’s Instagram account that it was “an embarrassment and an incredible insult”. It seems that the number of people who agree with this idea is quite large. “This is an insult to both Vermeer’s legacy and all working artists. It’s like a real slap when it comes to this from a museum,” Compiet said in a statement.
On the other hand, productive AI tools like Midjourney have been criticized for producing essentially nothing. Because all of these tools are trained with previous works of art or data. The tool creates a meaningful whole from this data and presents a different version. So far, many artists have reported that the products produced by these vehicles have their own parts. The copyright infringement discussions have been going on for a while for this reason.
“What is Art?”
Munnick of Mauritshuis “This is a very difficult question – what is art and what is not art?” he said, but also underlined that the museum, which has three Vermeers and about a dozen Rembrandts in its collection, does not aim to make an artistic statement on artificial intelligence.
“Our view is that it is a beautiful painting and a creative process. We are not the museum to argue whether AI belongs to an art museum.” Still, “you can see the freckles are a little scary when you look closely,” admits Munnick, adding that Mauritshuis visitors are equally divided by this picture.
