The Art of the Nonhuman:
Ape to A.I.
Creativity is a characteristic infrequently applied to animals or machines. Humans have enjoyed a monopoly on the creation of art for millennia - but now there are competitors. The smartest, most dexterous animals can apparently be taught to paint. Robots have been built that can draw and hold a brush. Software has been written that can make aesthetic determinations. Here is a glimpse of the art of the nonhuman…
Animal Art
Primate Artwork
Koko, a female lowland gorilla born in 1971, and Michael, a male lowland gorilla born in 1973, use sign language and understand spoken English. Koko has a working vocabulary of over 1000 signs. Koko understands approximately 2,000 words of spoken English. Koko initiates the majority of conversations with her human companions and typically constructs statements averaging three to six words. Koko has a tested IQ of between 70 and 95 on a human scale, where 100 is considered "normal." Michael, the male silverback gorilla who grew up with Koko, had a working vocabulary of over 600 signs. Both of them enjoy painting and have considerable portfolios.
Elephant Artwork
For the past several years, Vitaly Komar and Alex Melamid, Russian-born conceptual artists based in New York, have been teaching domesticated elephants how to paint.
"The elephants learn quickly and clearly get better over time," said Catherine Ryan, vice president of communications for Novica. "'Better,' of course is an aesthetic judgment, but you can see the paintings get more complex when you compare an elephant's early work to later pieces."
Artificial Intelligence Art>
