{"id":5799,"date":"2017-07-28T09:51:37","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T13:51:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5799"},"modified":"2017-10-22T20:06:00","modified_gmt":"2017-10-23T00:06:00","slug":"the-nature-of-creativity-in-fractal-art-part-3-editing-and-personal-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5799","title":{"rendered":"The Nature of Creativity in Fractal Art, Part 3: Editing and Personal Style"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This third part is all about personal style through image editing.\u00a0 Fractal art is often composed of two mediums: <strong>Automatism<\/strong>, which works by mutation and is purely mechanical, anonymous and impersonal; and a second medium I call, in general, <strong>Image Editing<\/strong> which is the inclusion of other kinds of imagery via layering as well as anything else a user can do to any digital image in a graphics program.\u00a0 I call it &#8220;editing&#8221; because it changes, and intervenes in the automatic process of fractal image generation in a deliberate and purposeful way and is influenced directly by the fractal artist&#8217;s hand movements (ie. positioned and placed).\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5772\">In Part 1: Automatism<\/a>, I said this about the mechanical nature of fractal art:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<ul>\n<li>The only way to create something personal and unique is to somehow involve one\u2019s hands in the formation of the image, that is, draw on the image or alter it manually and selectively at the micro-scale.<\/li>\n<li>The hands connect one\u2019s conscious mind and imagination to the image because that is the only way our thoughts can be visually expressed and thereby introduces the medium of manualism to the medium of automatism&#8230;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>By &#8220;hands&#8221; I don&#8217;t mean keyboard inputs, I mean mouse movements and the deliberate positioning of elements within an image.\u00a0 Layering, which just introduces a texture to the entire image is more like a coloring or rendering method which is an embellishment of the entire image rather than a deliberate editing of just part of it.\u00a0 Editing is characterized in this case by &#8220;selectivity at the micro-scale&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>From <a href=\"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5789\">Part 2: Mutationism<\/a>&#8230;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Does layering, masking, image importing and other hand-directed interventions make the fractal art created with it substantially different, and more like the traditional plastic arts (hand formed) or are those additions just trivial or at best secondary embellishments to what is still primarily an art form that revolves around mechanical creativity?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Two Fundamental Issues Here for Creativity:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>To what degree does fractal artwork benefit when the user is able to edit it? (does it make a difference?)<\/li>\n<li>Has any fractal artist ever demonstrated a unique personal advantage when it comes to making good fractal art? Meaning, has any example of their artwork something to it beyond just novel parameter permutation (mutationism), something that could be described as their own <i>artistic style and originality<\/i>?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>I style, therefore I am<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Surely personal style must be the critical indicator for true user-based creativity because unless there is something original and connected only with them, their contribution is just more of the program&#8217;s own creative imagery (or another program&#8217;s)? In other words, if your own artwork doesn&#8217;t have &#8220;that something special&#8221;, then you&#8217;re just another mutationist like the rest of us. The proof that users are &#8220;creative eunuchs&#8221; is that they are incapable of contributing anything of significance to the graphical gene pool: the process that forms the imagery. Similarly, <em>the proof that they&#8217;re not creative eunuchs is that they can add something of artistic merit that the program can&#8217;t take credit for.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If a user&#8217;s own creativity is part of the process then fractal art ought to reflect the person who makes it and not only the program it&#8217;s made with (which is often the only consistently recognizable feature of fractal art). If fractal art lacks this personal ingredient, then it&#8217;s primarily (or entirely) a product of the automatic, self-operating and independent process. The &#8220;artist&#8221; is better described as a skilled operator rather than a creative agent; skilled at the discovery of new things rather than the personal creation of them.<\/p>\n<p>This definitive question of style was raised by Terry back in 2011 in his series, <a href=\"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?s=on+style\">On Style<\/a>.\u00a0 I sensed he was on to something back then but didn&#8217;t fully realize just how profound the whole question of personal style in fractal art really is:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There\u2019s the chicken-or-egg question that needs to be addressed right off.\u00a0 Who or what is responsible for the production of style in fractal and digital art: the program(mer) or the artist?\u00a0 I feel a migraine coming on just wandering into this hall of mirrors.<\/p>\n<p>But that is the Ur-question [earliest, original] of style in our discipline (and all of digital art).\u00a0 Work produced in one fractal program definitely has a distinct and recognizable look than work produced in another.\u00a0 So, does the software, or perhaps its author(s), determine fractal art style, and do Phase One fractal artists, limited by the boundaries of a program\u2019s capabilities, merely pump out variations on a pre-determined look.\u00a0 In other words, does the tool itself have panache \u2014 or is stylistic elegance sourced in how individual artists use a given tool?<\/p>\n<p>-from <a href=\"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2403\">On Style 1<\/a>, Terry Wright, Orbittrap.ca, 2011<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>The Ultimate Question:<\/b><br \/>\n<em>Can editing significantly alter the artistic impression of fractal imagery?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If it can, the user&#8217;s contribution can be important and therefore fractal art as an art form has the potential to express the creativity of the artist&#8217;s mind as well as the creativity of the fractal mechanism. We all know anyone can alter fractal imagery by hand. The real question is whether it&#8217;s significant or not.\u00a0 It should be something we can notice and recognize and (most of us) agree on.\u00a0<em> If the user can add something significant, then surely there must be personal style because these additions are not automatic and algorithmic, they&#8217;re guided and directed by the user and not discretionary: they&#8217;re individual, unique and original.<\/em>\u00a0 Like all impressions of art, there will be a range of opinions.<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, I had a much harder time writing this part of the series than the previous two.\u00a0 I&#8217;ve struggled with this posting because it&#8217;s all about mixed-media and conceptually that makes it much more complicated than automatism which is practically a mathematical or philosophical concept.\u00a0 Not necessarily easy to grasp but much easier to express.\u00a0 Automatism and mutationism are about absolutes while Image Editing (mixed-media) is all about degrees and impression.\u00a0 The more the artist is involved in the art, the more complicated it gets.\u00a0 Think about that.<\/p>\n<p><b>Mostly Photomontage<\/b><\/p>\n<p>As I said above, this third part is all about everything to do with fractal art that isn&#8217;t automatic and machine generated. This is where the medium of fractal based automatism gets mixed with user inspired and guided modification; it becomes mixed-media. These modifications for the most part take the form of photographic backgrounds and overlays rather than actual digital painting or drawing and therefore almost entirely fall into the subcategory of photomontage. They can have a surprising transformational effect by merely shifting the context in which the fractal imagery is perceived, moving from the abstract to the realistic or sometimes, the sur-realistic.<\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s look at some examples and try to answer that Ultimate Question: <em>Can editing significantly alter the artistic impression of fractal imagery?<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>~ Click on images to view full-size on original site ~<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5806\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5806\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5806\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/a_river_runs_through_it_by_haltenny-daipqp0.jpg?resize=500%2C500\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/a_river_runs_through_it_by_haltenny-daipqp0.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/a_river_runs_through_it_by_haltenny-daipqp0.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5806\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A river runs through it, by Haltenny 2017, Deviant Art<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Time spent browsing <a href=\"http:\/\/haltenny.deviantart.com\/\">Haltenny&#8217;s Deviant Art gallery<\/a> is never wasted.\u00a0 This one is very recent and a perfect example of the symbiotic potential of image editing and fractals.\u00a0 Although Haltenny&#8217;s gallery has more sophisticated examples of his photomontage creations, I like this one the best because it&#8217;s much more simple and yet much more effective in transforming the fractal imagery.\u00a0 Doesn&#8217;t this look just like a modern, university campus in early spring?\u00a0 Or some other modern, institutional setting?<\/p>\n<p>I keep thinking this is the university I went to back in the 80&#8217;s (1980&#8217;s) which was relatively new and had a distinct preference for formed concrete construction.\u00a0 They had drainage problems in the early spring and so you&#8217;d often have half-melted snow and ice around buildings.\u00a0 Furthermore, the trees were mostly deciduous and bare of leaves in the early spring.\u00a0 One other prime feature of the campus&#8217; design were the numerous, stylish light posts that made the outdoor spaces feel like a gigantic trendy restaurant at night.\u00a0 The machine didn&#8217;t do this, Haltenny did.\u00a0 Haltenny added something to the 3d fractal imagery that changed the context and significantly altered\u00a0 the artistic impression.\u00a0 Even the lighting of the original 3d fractal imagery fits with the dim, early spring daylight and the early approach of evening.\u00a0 In half an hour those lights will come on and the night schools students will start to arrive.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5808\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/haltenny.deviantart.com\/art\/Fantasy-Tree-Cottage-638545291\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5808\" class=\"wp-image-5808 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fantasy-Tree-Cottage-by-Haltenny-2017-Deviant-Art.jpg?resize=500%2C444\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fantasy-Tree-Cottage-by-Haltenny-2017-Deviant-Art.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Fantasy-Tree-Cottage-by-Haltenny-2017-Deviant-Art.jpg?resize=150%2C133&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5808\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fantasy Tree Cottage by Haltenny 2017, Deviant Art<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Another fine fusion of the photographic and the fractal.\u00a0 Don&#8217;t those doors, and particularly the circular vent on the wall between them, look like they were part of the 3d fractal imagery?\u00a0 I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s easy to fit imagery together like this so seamlessly.\u00a0 It reminds me of paintings I saw in a book called, Mythopoeikon by Patrick Woodroffe years ago.\u00a0 I think this is why Haltenny was<a href=\"http:\/\/haltenny.deviantart.com\/journal\/Guardians-of-the-Galaxy-Vol-2-update-2-666690192\"> asked to provide conceptual artwork<\/a> for the recent Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol II: he has a real knack for showing how fractal imagery easily blends into natural surroundings and creates a seemingly endless other world.\u00a0 I imagine that&#8217;s what inspired the movie folks when they looked at his work: <em>they saw immediately what they could be done with it<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1810\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1810\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1810\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Cherry-Blossoms-by-brutaltoad.jpeg?resize=545%2C409\" alt=\"\" width=\"545\" height=\"409\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cherry Blossoms by brutaltoad (on Fractalforums.com)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This is a few years old, but what transformative effect just a background image can have.\u00a0 Makes you want to stay indoors and board up the windows.\u00a0 I think brutaltoad adjusted the coloring a bit too, to make the scary mandelbulb thing look comfy with the rosy trees in the background.\u00a0 No maple syrup harvesting this season!<\/p>\n<p>Just like with Haltenny&#8217;s work, it&#8217;s hard to see the &#8220;seams&#8221; between the fractal imagery and the photographic.\u00a0 It looks natural and creates something neither of the two mediums were capable of producing on their own.\u00a0 And for that the artist (user) gets the credit, not the machine (or forest).\u00a0 This is genuinely creative work and not just the logical uncovering of parameter permutations.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5812\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/vidom.deviantart.com\/art\/Les-ecluses-de-Saiph-465175408\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5812\" class=\"wp-image-5812 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/les_ecluses_de_saiph_by_vidom-d7oybn4.jpg?resize=500%2C227\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"227\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/les_ecluses_de_saiph_by_vidom-d7oybn4.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/les_ecluses_de_saiph_by_vidom-d7oybn4.jpg?resize=150%2C68&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5812\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Les \u00e9cluses de Saiph by Vidom (Deviant Art) 2014<\/p><\/div>\n<p>These notes by Vidom on the image:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Made with Mandelbulb3D.<br \/>\nThe whole structure is a single fractal shape, not really symmetric. But while making it I decided to use the lower part as a fake reflection of the upper one.<br \/>\nIn post production I just blurred the bottom area, added a green algae patch underwater and some clouds in the sky, to make it less boring<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Another fine example of the transformational effect of context.\u00a0 I think the fractal image inspired the user&#8217;s additions which of course were carried out manually and beyond the automatic mechanisms of the fractal program.\u00a0 You could say this is an elevated context, higher than the automatic one and the artist has completed it.\u00a0 Vidom has many of these panoramic and particularly architectural type 3d fractal images <a href=\"http:\/\/vidom.deviantart.com\/gallery\/\">in his gallery<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5813\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/vidom.deviantart.com\/art\/Arboretum-Control-Center-455938978\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5813\" class=\"wp-image-5813 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/arboretum_control_center_by_vidom-d7jgcrm.jpg?resize=500%2C313\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/arboretum_control_center_by_vidom-d7jgcrm.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/arboretum_control_center_by_vidom-d7jgcrm.jpg?resize=150%2C94&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5813\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arboretum Control Center by Vidom (Deviant Art) 2014<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Vidom notes: &#8220;<em>The sky above has been replaced by a personal photo. That doesn&#8217;t alter the fractal in any way.<\/em>&#8221;\u00a0 The most simple of all manual fractal additions: photo background; just like brutaltoad&#8217;s Day of the Triffids: The Cherry Orchard Stories.\u00a0 But again, if I may use the word transformative once more, it changes the context, and the overall effect or impression of the fractal imagery is more than it was before the user manually added the photo which was suggested by their own imagination.\u00a0 When you add the user&#8217;s hand to the image formation (even photomontage) you connect their mind.\u00a0 Subsequently, when you remove the hand from the equation, you remove the user&#8217;s imagination from the image process.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5816\" style=\"width: 494px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ameller-dubois.fr\/fr\/architecture\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5816\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5816\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/architectual-presentation-1.jpg?resize=484%2C348\" alt=\"\" width=\"484\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/architectual-presentation-1.jpg?w=484&amp;ssl=1 484w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/architectual-presentation-1.jpg?resize=150%2C108&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 484px) 100vw, 484px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5816\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Architectural Presentation by Ameller, Dubois et Associes<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5817\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/arch-student.com\/pin\/architectural-visualisation-post-production-before-after\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5817\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5817\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Gotland-hotel-by-Sergio-Mereces-1.jpg?resize=500%2C514\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Gotland-hotel-by-Sergio-Mereces-1.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Gotland-hotel-by-Sergio-Mereces-1.jpg?resize=146%2C150&amp;ssl=1 146w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5817\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gotland hotel by Sergio Mereces, 2015<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Artist&#8217;s Concept Category<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>With respect to the Ultimate Question, &#8220;<em>Can editing significantly alter the artistic impression of fractal imagery?&#8221; <\/em>I&#8217;d say these examples of mixed-media fractal art have shown that it can be done.\u00a0 But I&#8217;m not sure I can say they exhibit personal style or the expression of\u00a0 the artist&#8217;s mind to a meaningful degree.\u00a0 What I mean by that is that in all these images, the fractal imagery has been elevated to a higher level of artistic impression but the technique they&#8217;ve used is generic.\u00a0 This introduces a sort of twilight-zone category I wasn&#8217;t anticipating.<\/p>\n<p>I like the artwork of each of these artists as do many of the folks on Deviant art but when I take a very technical and theoretical approach to what their work says about the medium and art form of fractal art I see they&#8217;ve all transformed the automatic artistry of the machine with their photographic additions but I don&#8217;t see it moving beyond\u00a0 that of a simple presentation technique that adds a nice finishing touch but which is also an anonymous one.<\/p>\n<p>But in defense of the artists, I don&#8217;t think they really ever intended their modifications to do much more than that anyhow.\u00a0 Their goal, I suspect, was to present the fractal imagery in a more imaginative context just as an architect presents their building plans as a real building in a real environment so a potential client can immediately evaluate it in a context that is more familiar to them than a blueprint.\u00a0 It&#8217;s all about conceptualizing and that&#8217;s why I think Haltenny&#8217;s artwork caught the eye of the movie makers from Marvel and made them reach out to him for work as a concept artist.\u00a0 Furthermore, the examples I&#8217;ve shown of Haltenny and Vidom are all fractals that exhibit a strong architectural theme and so the technique of &#8220;Artist&#8217;s Concept&#8221; in it&#8217;s contextual embellishment is a natural route to take as it fits well with the imagery.\u00a0 We could say the fractal imagery inspires or suggests such illustrative additions.<\/p>\n<p>What this all means for creativity in fractal art is:\u00a0 <em>One embellishes and enhances, builds upon the automatic imagery which forms the foundation of the art form. This is important because the algorithmic, mechanical creativity of the program is the primary interest in the final image and what the art form revolves around and is oriented around.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In this Artist&#8217;s Concept category (as I call it) the fractal imagery is still the leading creative element of the artwork but it&#8217;s been presented in a more engaging and imaginative context through a collage-like technique called photomontage.\u00a0 The use of photography makes the resulting work much less personalized and therefore less supportive of a personal style even if it is a personally creative act and not something the fractal program can take credit for.\u00a0 I wasn&#8217;t expecting that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A Surrealist Example<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1832\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1832\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1832\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/The-Entire-City-by-Max-Ernst.jpg?resize=545%2C347\" alt=\"\" width=\"545\" height=\"347\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-1832\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Entire City by Max Ernst, 1936<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The lump of rough stratified stuff in the mid-ground was created using an automatic technique called &#8220;grattage&#8221; which is French for scraping.\u00a0 Ernst placed the canvas over some rough boards and other surfaces and then scraped paint across them just as one would rub a pencil over a sheet of paper placed on a surface to create a pencil rubbing.\u00a0 Grattage is paint rubbing, you could say.<\/p>\n<p>Because Ernst worked in a non-digital medium, he couldn&#8217;t overlay photographic imagery so he painted by hand the vegetation in the foreground (he was a very good painter as well) and the simple gradient for the sky in the background.\u00a0 The automatic imagery is architectural and &#8220;structural&#8221; in its appearance and no doubt that is what suggested and inspired Ernst&#8217;s contextualization of it as the concept of &#8220;The Entire City&#8221; (<em>La Ville enti\u00e8re<\/em>).\u00a0 The title is an &#8220;artistically active&#8221; element as well, but that&#8217;s another matter.<\/p>\n<p>Compare it with the fractal examples above; are they not all the same kind of contextual transposition of automatic imagery (scene shifting)?\u00a0 When the same artistic situations and challenges arise, whether in the 1930&#8217;s or 2010&#8217;s it&#8217;s not surprising that the same solutions occur in the minds of artists who otherwise would have no connection to each other.\u00a0 It&#8217;s the medium that connects them.<\/p>\n<p>Ernst&#8217;s work is considered a fine example of automatism and not oil painting.\u00a0 The manually painted elements are supportive and embellishments that serve the function of presenting the work in a completed and more easily interpreted way.\u00a0 Architectural fractal works I think function the same way.\u00a0 Just a different form of automatism.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5838\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wikiart.org\/en\/max-ernst\/the-entire-city-1935\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5838\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5838\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Entire-City-by-Max-Ernst.jpg?resize=500%2C263\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"263\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Entire-City-by-Max-Ernst.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/The-Entire-City-by-Max-Ernst.jpg?resize=150%2C79&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5838\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Entire City by Max Ernst, (1935-6)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ernst made a series of grattage paintings called The Entire City over a number of years.\u00a0 It&#8217;s interesting to compare how he &#8220;edited&#8221; the automatic imagery and embellished it in different examples.\u00a0 The central focus on the automatically created, &#8220;scraped&#8221; imagery is common to all of them while the manual touches vary slightly.\u00a0 The scraped imagery here is different.\u00a0 But then there is no such thing as cut and paste in oil painting.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is there more than simple photomontage?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So the examples of Haltenny, brutaltoad and Vidom have clearly shown that fractal art&#8217;s creativity can be more than just that of automatism when edited by a capable artist.\u00a0 Their examples were simple but effective in presenting fractals in a more imaginative context.\u00a0 But embellishing architectural fractal imagery with architectural presentation elements doesn&#8217;t change the effect of the actual fractal image, it just enhances it by changing, literally, the scenery.\u00a0 Some editing can change what the fractal imagery means and what it&#8217;s artistic effect is.\u00a0 This is a much more subtle form of editing and probably elicits a wider range of reactions (appreciation) from viewers.\u00a0 Architectural works are simpler to interpret and easier to understand.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_2477\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fractalforums.com\/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=5483\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2477\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2477\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Spiny-Newton-Julia-Disc-by-Erisian.jpeg?resize=500%2C375\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-2477\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spiny Newton Julia Disc by Erisian<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This caught my eye on Fractalforums.com in 2011 when I wrote the posting, <a href=\"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=2476\">Art of the Strange Place<\/a>.\u00a0 The fractal component is just the round object in the mid-ground (from Tierazon) and the &#8220;background&#8221; imagery was made in Bryce, a 3d graphics rendering program.\u00a0 It&#8217;s something of an oddity but now, 6 years later,\u00a0 it&#8217;s rather fascinating from a theoretical perspective because it a good example of user creativity particularly because of it&#8217;s unusual program combinations.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t know someone could 3d-ify something from Tierazon, a single layer, 2d fractal program.\u00a0 It reminds me of Ernst&#8217;s The Entire City because the automatic imagery here (fractal) takes on a whole new feel and meaning than it would have in the fractal program or presented alone.\u00a0 It also has a slightly surreal feel to it because it&#8217;s something of a mystery what it is and represents but yet it suggests &#8230;something strange.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5558\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5558\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5558\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Image-06-B-by-Paul-N-Lee.jpg?resize=500%2C375\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Image-06-B-by-Paul-N-Lee.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Image-06-B-by-Paul-N-Lee.jpg?resize=150%2C113&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5558\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image 06-B by Paul N Lee, 2001, made in QuaSZ<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Man, 2001, isn&#8217;t that just ancient? I picked this image out for the posting on <a href=\"http:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5552\">Paul Lee&#8217;s memorial<\/a> and every time I look at it I think he must have intended it to be a self-portrait.\u00a0 Surely a self-portrait must be the ultimate form of personalization?\u00a0 But with a fractal program?\u00a0 Or, in this case, a quaternion program?\u00a0 Look at the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mysticfractal.com\/QuaSZ.html\">QuaSZ<\/a> (a program by Terry Gintz) image (dark, complex shape).\u00a0 What kind of person could see themself in a &#8220;quaternion, hypercomplex, cubic Mandelbrot, complexified quaternion and octonion renderings of the Mandelbrot set and Julia sets&#8221;?<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s him walking along briskly with his hands on his hips and his right foot extended out and wearing a self-made medieval leather boot.\u00a0 As for the background, it could easily be anywhere in west Texas, although I think Paul was from the greener east Texas.\u00a0 Hey, when get&#8217;s going he really travels!\u00a0 Notice how dark, complex and convoluted the shape is.\u00a0 The bright sun just makes the shadows darker.\u00a0 I think he has a guitar over his shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Is it more than just an example of the 3d Bryce rendering possibilities for QuaSZ?\u00a0 I think Paul&#8217;s editing (it was made in QuaSZ and imported and rendered in Bryce, a 3d program) qualifies as significantly altering &#8220;the artistic impression of fractal imagery.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In both Erisian&#8217;s and Paul&#8217;s images, the automatic imagery has taken on a dual transformation: both the context as well as the meaning and function of the imagery itself has changed from its original state in the program that made it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joe&#8217;s Piano<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5281\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fractalforums.com\/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=14971\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5281\" class=\"wp-image-5281 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BX3000-Steam-Punk-Organ-by-JoeFRAQ.jpeg?resize=500%2C255\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"255\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BX3000-Steam-Punk-Organ-by-JoeFRAQ.jpeg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/BX3000-Steam-Punk-Organ-by-JoeFRAQ.jpeg?resize=150%2C76&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5281\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">BX3000 Steam Punk Organ by JoeFRAQ<\/p><\/div>\n<p>JoeFRAQ has created a series of images incorporating the somewhat geometric element of a piano keyboard into the fractal imagery.\u00a0 This is the best one in my opinion because like many of the examples in this posting, the non-fractal imagery is minimal and yet radically transforms and re imagines the fractal.\u00a0 Without the keyboard the 3d fractal imagery has a clear mechanical appearance but with the keyboard inserted below it, there&#8217;s a sudden coherence to that previously ambiguous mechanical assortment of things.\u00a0 Furthermore, the simple geometric pattern of the piano keys fits in visually with the fractal imagery and it&#8217;s new role as the machinery of an exposed upright piano (or organ).<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5278\" style=\"width: 385px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mandelwerk.deviantart.com\/art\/Basilica-of-Holographic-Projections-420789086\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5278\" class=\"wp-image-5278 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/basilica_of_holographic_projections_by_mandelwerk.jpg?resize=375%2C500\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/basilica_of_holographic_projections_by_mandelwerk.jpg?w=375&amp;ssl=1 375w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/basilica_of_holographic_projections_by_mandelwerk.jpg?resize=112%2C150&amp;ssl=1 112w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5278\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">basilica_of_holographic_projections_by_mandelwerk<\/p><\/div>\n<p>A pretty ordinary sky, a pretty ordinary, shiny 3d floor, a typical burro or deer or something, and a nondescript figure doing something (but what?) and something else with &#8230;a balloon?\u00a0 But what an extraordinary result!\u00a0 Many 3d fractals are panoramic but this one seems to extend beyond space and time.\u00a0 It&#8217;s impossible architecture and yet it stands solidly and majestically: the impossible made certain.\u00a0 It has a Dali-esque eternal time feel to it.\u00a0 Everything moves towards the horizon and yet it is frozen in that &#8220;moving&#8221; state.\u00a0 The futility or stability of change?<\/p>\n<p>I guess asking if Mandelwerk&#8217;s image here answers our Ultimate Question is unnecessary.\u00a0 I can&#8217;t see the effect of just the fractal imagery alone doing what this image does.\u00a0 There&#8217;s a mood and a mysterious\u00a0 tone to the architecture now.\u00a0 Obviously the fractal imagery has a lot to do with it, but the artist&#8217;s editing has created a symbiotic relationship between the two sources of creativity.\u00a0 I can&#8217;t really say which one is the stronger one because they work so well together and seem to do so much more than they would have alone.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5593\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5593\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5593\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Desert-Diner-by-mclarekin.jpg?resize=500%2C313\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Desert-Diner-by-mclarekin.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Desert-Diner-by-mclarekin.jpg?resize=150%2C94&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-5593\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Desert Diner by mclarekin<\/p><\/div>\n<p>All he did was add an arid sky to the background and do some typography and suddenly it&#8217;s one of those scenes that catches your eye while driving down the interstate on a family vacation.\u00a0 But with no cars parked outside it&#8217;s probably not open any more.\u00a0 Still, it&#8217;s worth stopping just to take a photo and look for ghosts.\u00a0 I know this was not a serious attempt at mixed media art, but for that reason it&#8217;s even more noteworthy.\u00a0 With respect to personal style&#8230; who does &#8220;color&#8221; like Mclarekin does?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4955\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/48232773@N00\/438744831\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4955\" class=\"wp-image-4955 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Fractal-by-Alizadeh100.jpeg?resize=340%2C488\" alt=\"\" width=\"340\" height=\"488\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Fractal-by-Alizadeh100.jpeg?w=340&amp;ssl=1 340w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Fractal-by-Alizadeh100.jpeg?resize=104%2C150&amp;ssl=1 104w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 340px) 100vw, 340px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4955\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Fractal by Alizadeh100<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Cheap effect, eh?\u00a0 Masking and layering and not too much of that, either.\u00a0 But imagine a gigantic, old-school style fractal in a big art gallery with tourists admiring it like it was the work of an Old Master&#8230; What if everyone&#8217;s introduction to fractal art was in such an environment?\u00a0 What if people compared it to the Picassos and Renoirs beside it?\u00a0 What if people asked not &#8220;is it art?&#8221; but rather, &#8220;what kind of art is this?&#8221;\u00a0 What if fractal art was innocent until proven guilty?\u00a0 (What if everything we looked at was &#8220;art&#8221; until proven guilty?)\u00a0 Maybe this one is the best example of editing significantly altering the artistic impression of the fractal imagery?\u00a0 Look at how high that one-layer, retro fractal has risen at the hands of its human editor.\u00a0 It&#8217;s as if Cinderella&#8217;s Godmother composed this epic transformation.\u00a0 Who can say it still looks like a pumpkin?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5834\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dorianoart.deviantart.com\/art\/SPYRALIS-407600780\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5834\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5834\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/36.jpg?resize=500%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/36.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/36.jpg?resize=150%2C90&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Spyralis by DorianoArt (Deviant Art) 2013<\/p><\/div>\n<p>I don&#8217;t know how popular these sorts of images by DorianoArt are with others in the fractal world but there&#8217;s something about them that I just think is great.\u00a0 Maybe it takes me back to the days of sci-fi paperback covers when this sort of artwork was both futuristic as well as artistically innovative.\u00a0 Space is big, colorful, well designed like a ritzy hotel and stylish.\u00a0 With respect to personal style, Doriano is one of the very few who I sense has actually achieved a look which one could call individual and personal.\u00a0 I can&#8217;t think right away of anyone else who makes images like this and when I see new ones as thumbnails in the Deviant Art recent uploads page, I recognize them right away as his and I&#8217;ve never been wrong.\u00a0 That ought to be a good indicator of personal style: you&#8217;re instantly recognized in a police line-up.\u00a0 Your artwork is identifiable; the opposite of anonymous.\u00a0 Or is he just the only one to settle on this theme?<\/p>\n<p>This bit from his bio statement on Deviant Art:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I have been Videogame Software Manager of Atari Corp, and worked in advertising for a Musical Int. Distribution.\u00a0 Now I do Art and Music privately and study Western and Oriental Astrology.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_5835\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/dorianoart.deviantart.com\/art\/Kyonos-544928765\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5835\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5835\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/kyonos_by_dorianoart-d90fpq5.jpg?resize=500%2C358\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/kyonos_by_dorianoart-d90fpq5.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/kyonos_by_dorianoart-d90fpq5.jpg?resize=150%2C107&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5835\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kyonos by DorianoArt (Deviant Art) 2015<\/p><\/div>\n<p>70&#8217;s ish or early 80&#8217;s ish?\u00a0 The spectral, prismatic color turns ordinary &#8220;silver&#8221; into technicolor tundra.\u00a0 The only thing that bothers me about this one is I get the song, &#8220;Dancing Queen&#8221; by Abba running through my head when I look at it.\u00a0 The green cloud moon sky and silhouettes of a Lombardy poplars (graveyards) is an ominous and unusual addition to such a glittery scene.\u00a0 Could be the cover to a sci-fi murder mystery.\u00a0 Whether you&#8217;re a big fan of these images by Doriano or not, you&#8217;ve got to agree the guy has a style like no one else.\u00a0\u00a0 That&#8217;s a big thing in fractal art.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3502\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/brummbaerontralfamadore\/home\/tralfamadorian-views-and-landmarks\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3502\" class=\"wp-image-3502 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Palace-of-Information.jpg?resize=500%2C375\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Palace-of-Information.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/Palace-of-Information.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-3502\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Palace of Information by Brummbaer<\/p><\/div>\n<p>This one isn&#8217;t really mixed media; or it&#8217;s got so many mediums in it I don&#8217;t know what to say.\u00a0 I believe Brummbaer painted this entirely after creating a digital version with the use of several programs and a rather involved series of steps.\u00a0 But that sounds like a lot of work for something that is so excessively detailed and easily copied electronically.\u00a0 Or maybe he touches up the prints by hand like engravers used to color their black and white prints by hand.\u00a0 He says this on <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/brummbaerontralfamadore\/\">the site<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>H O W\u00a0\u00a0 T H E\u00a0\u00a0 P A I N T I N G S\u00a0\u00a0 A R E\u00a0\u00a0 C R E A T E D :<\/p>\n<p>The paintings\u00a0are based on fractal designs, calculated on a computer using commercial and some offbeat programs. After the creation by the fractal generators,\u00a0the design\u00a0is either moved into a 3D program like 3D\u00a0Max and further treated, or taken into photoshop, where you tweak the color and composites. After several testprints, a high resolution version is painted\u00a0in the computer with the help of a Wacom-tablet. Finally the image is professionally printed on canvas or paper guarantied to last a hundred years. Once the canvas is stretched, it is ready to be painted on.\u00a0Layers of oil, acrylics and varnish\u00a0give\u00a0me the ability to create a vibrant painting,\u00a0using some techniques of the old masters. This goes on until the painting \u00a0is finished.\u00a0Every painting is a\u00a0single, unique piece &#8212;\u00a0nevertheless, once a painting is finalized, it is possible to do prints in any size on any permissible material.<\/p>\n<p>2010 Brummbaer<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_5839\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.google.com\/site\/brummbaerontralfamadore\/home\/arrival-by-spaceship-or-wormhole\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5839\" class=\"size-full wp-image-5839\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/EARTH-LANDER.jpg?resize=500%2C400\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/EARTH-LANDER.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/EARTH-LANDER.jpg?resize=150%2C120&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5839\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Missy and the Earth Lander by Brummbaer, 2010<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The images are very transformative in context, for sure, but I&#8217;m not sure the fractal imagery is radically different in its intended interpretation from what it was in the program: it&#8217;s still itself, so to speak.\u00a0 They&#8217;re presented as eccentric architecture and machines which is not far from what they are natively.\u00a0 However, Brummbaer has certainly created a very original style in the images overall.\u00a0 I think one would recognize a new image by him by its style unless he attempted something radically different.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4895\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fractalforums.com\/index.php?action=gallery;sa=view;id=14138\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4895\" class=\"size-full wp-image-4895\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/The-Circus-at-the-End-of-Time-by-Brummbaer.jpeg?resize=500%2C250\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/The-Circus-at-the-End-of-Time-by-Brummbaer.jpeg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/The-Circus-at-the-End-of-Time-by-Brummbaer.jpeg?resize=150%2C75&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-4895\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Circus at the End of Time by Brummbaer, 2013<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here&#8217;s an example of a &#8220;new one&#8221; not from his Tralfamadore series that fits in a bit more with the\u00a0 kind of editing work that many other fractal artists do and is a possible example of recognizable style.\u00a0 Does it jump out as &#8220;Brummbaer&#8221; if one ignores the distinctive signature logo in the bottom left?\u00a0 He&#8217;s made good use of the golden cloud-like background that seems to actually be part of the 3d fractal structure.\u00a0 Perhaps he lightened it in Photoshop to give it a distance effect.\u00a0 The image has a neat coherence to it that his other images also have on his Tralfamadore site.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about the great Ultra Fractalists?<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_5119\" style=\"width: 510px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/infinite-art.deviantart.com\/art\/Pilgrimage-125287132\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-5119\" class=\"wp-image-5119 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Pilgrimage-by-Janet-Parke-2009.jpg?resize=500%2C231\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"231\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Pilgrimage-by-Janet-Parke-2009.jpg?w=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/08\/Pilgrimage-by-Janet-Parke-2009.jpg?resize=150%2C69&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-5119\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pilgrimage by Janet Parke 2009<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Janet Parke was a very big name in fractal art and perhaps still is in some circles.\u00a0 One of the things she was known for was the intense layering and masking and generally speaking, user-based tweaking of images.\u00a0 She was well known for her online courses that taught both the techniques of using Ultra Fractal as well as the artistic thinking and style behind the application of those technical skills.\u00a0 Suffice it to say that this image here has been edited or altered in a special user-inspired way and not just a &#8220;mutation&#8221; that crawled onto the land.<\/p>\n<p>The name is good; and inspired by the imagery too, I think.\u00a0 I see dreamy furrows of a plowed field and the birds who have gathered to eat seeds and insects associated with that sort of human activity have become the pilgrims who drift off towards the horizon (glowing with hope) in the top right corner.\u00a0 Note the little spiral and how the imagery merges into a page-like form suggesting\u00a0 (to me, at least) a story and a map.\u00a0 I don&#8217;t think Janet&#8217;s mutational guesses accomplished all this!\u00a0 If it comes from her tweaking and layering then it was well done and artistically creative.\u00a0 Click on the image to view full-size and you&#8217;ll see the little spiral dances off into the image of a crescent moon.\u00a0 (I won&#8217;t comment on that little &#8220;touch&#8221;.)<\/p>\n<p>As for personal style, I can honestly say, as I think anyone who looks over similar Ultra Fractal type images of that time, that some artists can be better at this sort of style than others but that none of them have ever been, or will likely ever be unique or distinguished at it.\u00a0 It is, in my opinion, a form of embellishment, but that may have been the artist&#8217;s intentions even if they never saw it that way themselves or described it like that.\u00a0 If you can believe it, Ultra Fractal&#8217;s layering and the techniques of &#8220;post-processing&#8221; used to be a controversial subject in the fractal art world.\u00a0 But that has all changed in a decade (or two).\u00a0 Time is something of a pilgrimage too, I suppose.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for something categorically different&#8230;.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m trying to do here with personal style.\u00a0 It doesn&#8217;t have to be a whole bunch of images that consistently portray a novel form of artistry or creative fingerprint like the works of van Gogh or Dali.\u00a0 It can be just one image that does something with the imagery created by a fractal program that comes from the user&#8217;s own thoughts and mind and betrays the author&#8217;s identity: a fresh, original look for fractal art.\u00a0 A tell-tale sign somewhere that gives a clue as to the artist&#8217;s identity.<\/p>\n<p>What passes for personal style in fractal art in the few cases I&#8217;ve found it, or found a hint of it, is mostly doing something that no one else has discovered can be done or doing something that no one else has bothered to do.\u00a0 In short, doing what no one else is doing but could (perhaps) do.\u00a0 <em>It&#8217;s not the exclusivity of a personal domain but rather the exclusivity of a remote domain that&#8217;s hard to find or just eccentric; this is what &#8220;personal&#8221; style is in fractal art.<br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The primary reason for a lack of personalization in fractal art, which is what personal style really comes down to, is the medium: it&#8217;s all about algorithms and other forms of graphical effects and machinery.\u00a0 This is not a medium that really allows for much personalization because it&#8217;s largely mechanical and the artist merely supplies the variation in the <em>variation on a theme<\/em> -theme.\u00a0 The artist&#8217;s thoughts, imagination and in general, their mind, is not part of the equation so how can the results of the equation come out differently for any particular artist if they&#8217;re all essentially running the same machine, more or less?\u00a0 Fractal art, even when edited, is still primarily automatism.\u00a0 (Read the first and second parts of this series for clarification.)<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong: There is such a thing as <em>good fractal art<\/em> and there is such a thing as a <em>good fractal artist<\/em>.\u00a0 But the <em>goodness<\/em> is in the machine skills and creative embellishments.\u00a0 There is nothing that overshadows or takes the focus off of the machine&#8217;s artistry although it&#8217;s not impossible for it happen.\u00a0 Perhaps a few of the examples I&#8217;ve shown have come close to that depending on how you see them yourself.<\/p>\n<p>To quote from this long posting, I said above: What this all means for creativity in fractal art is:\u00a0 <em>One embellishes and enhances, builds upon the automatic imagery which forms the foundation of the art form. This is important because the algorithmic, mechanical creativity of the program is the primary interest in the final image and what the art form revolves around and is oriented around.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>But this is exactly the same sort of strategy that Max Ernst, the great surrealist painter and pioneer of automatism adopted when working with &#8220;the fractal art of his time&#8221;.\u00a0 So it&#8217;s not a failure of artists to be unable to personalize automatic imagery, it&#8217;s the nature of automatic imagery that it resists personalization, and in its sovereignty and independence (self-operation) allows users to assist and embellish and recontextualize it, but not to influence it directly.\u00a0 The nature of creativity in fractal art is that it&#8217;s primarily mechanical and like all automatism, that is what drives the artistry, inspires the editorial revisions and additions, and generally speaking, is the star of the whole show.\u00a0 Fractal art works differently than painting, drawing, sculpture or any of the other plastic (hand formed) arts.\u00a0 It&#8217;s a different kind of artistry and it&#8217;s name is automatism.<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, the whole personal style issue reflects the heart of what fractal art is and what defines it.\u00a0 Maybe Part 4 will be about that.\u00a0 Possibly: Part 4: A Separate Artistry&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This third part is all about everything to do with fractal art that isn&#8217;t automatic and machine generated. This is where the medium of fractal based automatism gets mixed with user inspired and guided modifications. These modifications for the most part take the form of photographic backgrounds and overlays <a href=\"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5799\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5558,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Image-06-B-by-Paul-N-Lee.jpg?fit=500%2C375&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5772,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5772","url_meta":{"origin":5799,"position":0},"title":"The Nature of Creativity in Fractal Art, Part 1: Automatism","author":"Tim","date":"29 June, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Six months ago... I decided to summarize... and bring to completion... all my thoughts... ...about whatever it is my computer hobby is all about. I didn't even have a good label for it. But nothing helps you think deeper and deeper than trying to write more and more precisely about\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5772#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/patinko05.jpg?fit=500%2C375&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5844,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5844","url_meta":{"origin":5799,"position":1},"title":"The Nature of Creativity in Fractal Art, Part 4: A Separate Artistry","author":"Tim","date":"14 August, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There's something different about fractal art. Something that sets it apart from the art of artists working with their hands to form paintings out of paint and sculptures out of clay. Artists working with their hands do a lot of things you don't see in fractal art.","rel":"","context":"With 3 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 3 comments","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5844#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/castaneda-cover.jpeg?fit=354%2C426&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5789,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5789","url_meta":{"origin":5799,"position":2},"title":"The Nature of Creativity in Fractal Art, Part 2: Mutationism","author":"Tim","date":"3 July, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In the first posting I made the argument that fractal art is a variety of automatism. Automatism being imagery that is created by an automatic, self-operating device. One doesn't draw fractals, the fractal program draws them. The fractal program is the self-operating device or automaton (ie. automatic thing). Being an\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5789#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/mutation.jpg?fit=500%2C332&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5871,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5871","url_meta":{"origin":5799,"position":3},"title":"The Nature of Creativity in Fractal Art, Part 5: Artist or Symbiont?","author":"Tim","date":"21 August, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Executive summary The user does what the machine can't do and the machine does what the user can't do and together they make something. Automatism explains how fractal imagery works and mutation explains how a fractal user works but only symbiosis explains how fractal \"art\" works. Automatism works at the\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/clownfish.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5216,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=5216","url_meta":{"origin":5799,"position":4},"title":"The Synthetic Aesthetic 5: Surrealist Pioneers","author":"Tim","date":"12 November, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The work of some surrealist artists back in the early 20th century involved the use of creative methods that are almost analogous to many of our modern computerized algorithms and effects.\u00a0 For people like myself that are currently exploring the creative potential of photoshop filters and other graphically creative computer\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Ciel de Pieuvre (1938) by Wolfgang Paalen","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/ciel-de-pieuvre-1938-by-Wolfgang-Paalen.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6039,"url":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/?p=6039","url_meta":{"origin":5799,"position":5},"title":"Why is HalTenny&#8217;s stuff better?","author":"Tim","date":"6 February, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"If one person can produce fractal work that other users can't then there must be some personal component to fractal art. On DeviantArt HalTenny's 3D fractal work stands out and I think I've figured out why.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/orbittrap.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/inviting_dark_tunnel_by_haltenny.jpg?fit=500%2C342&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5799"}],"version-history":[{"count":27,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5843,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5799\/revisions\/5843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orbittrap.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}