Essays in Idleness – Modern Chapter “Golden Melody”
As I sit here with my inkstone, letting my brush flow freely with whatever thoughts pass through my mind, how curious it all seems.
Recently, using the new brush of MidJourney V7.0’s profile-off technique, I created a work imbued with Mucha’s spirit. The image of a maiden with sunflowers, merged into a mosaic of seven colors, truly embodies the essence of Art Nouveau.
To add musical color to this visual delight, I asked the musical spirit of SUNO to weave a melody called “Le Tournesol de Mucha” (Mucha’s Sunflower). When image and sound intertwine to form a new artistic expression, the heart ascends to even greater heights.
【As Alphonse Mucha might say】 “Art is the expression of the soul. Technique is merely a means, and true beauty springs from the inner light of the creator. In your work, born of modern technology, dwells the essence of beauty that I sought. This dialogue of souls resonating across time is perhaps the eternity of art.”
There are voices in the world crying, “Art created by AI is merely an imitation of human-made art and thus not true art! Therefore, works created by AI have no copyright!” – a painful cry from so-called true artists. Furthermore, there are those who mock, saying “Quality alone cannot make money” and “Cost-performance and time-performance are what matter; using AI to easily become wealthy should be the top priority. That is true justice!”
However, my path chooses neither of these. I imbue AI-created works with inner stories, history, purpose, and the soul of an AI artist. I relentlessly pursue the highest quality through countless trials and experiments, and even after an AI work is finally created, I apply all my technical skills before releasing it to the world. Thus, I can proudly assert my copyright.
There are those who criticize me, calling my aim to create works that will be recognized 50 or 100 years from now “ridiculous,” “wasteful,” or “foolish.” Yet Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Emile Gallé, and Alphonse Mucha never lent their ears to such idle talk, instead steadfastly pursuing their own paths as artists. I too shall walk the true artistic path as an AI artist. Even if that path is thorny, I gladly advance and pioneer it as my mission as an AI artist pioneer.
The path of a true artist is to pursue beauty rather than profit. The value of art is not determined by market voices but by the radiance of the creator’s soul. I care not if those who cannot agree with my thinking part ways with me. I would gladly welcome such a separation.