The Facts
David Salle has created a new series of paintings, 'New Pastorals' (2024-), by using a customized version of the AI model Stable Diffusion to generate unexpected compositions from elements of his earlier 'Pastorals' series (1999-2001). Working with engineer Grant Davis, Salle fed the AI his original imagery, which the model then deconstructed and recombined into new arrangements. These digitally generated compositions were printed onto canvas and then reworked by the artist in oil paint, resulting in paintings that feature distorted mountain landscapes, fragmented bodies, isolated clothing, and a turbine-sun, disrupting coherent spatial logic.
The Signal
The project marks a significant evolution in Salle's practice, demonstrating how a major contemporary painter can incorporate generative AI as a compositional tool without ceding authorial control. By allowing the machine to disrupt his initial compositional stage, Salle challenges his own pictorial conventions while retaining final authority over the finished work. This approach offers a model for how established artists might engage with AI not as a replacement for traditional methods but as a means to expand their visual vocabulary, potentially influencing how collectors and curators assess the intersection of digital tools and fine art painting.
- Artists: David Salle
- People: Grant Davis
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac
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