The Computer Artist and Art Critic
J. C. Sprott
ABSTRACT
For decades, the generation of art by machines has fascinated both scientists
and artists. In this chapter, I describe how modern computers can generate
and evaluate fractal patterns. The patterns are the products of mathematical
feedback loops, better known to mathematicians as iterated maps and iterated
function systems. The computer solves the equations with random choices
of parameters and thereby produces an unlimited variety of patterns. These
patterns can be characterized by numerical quantities known as the Lyapunov
exponent and the fractal dimension. In studies with human subjects, I have
found a correlation between these quantities and the aesthetic quality
of the patterns. This suggests that the computer can be taught to generate
fractal patterns that appeal to humans. I provide computer code and examples
of the patterns produced by this technique. I also discuss the related
problem of using a computer to evaluate art produced by humans. The future
of these methods holds unlimited promise.
Ref: J. C. Sprott, in "Factal Horizons: The
Future Use of Fractals", Clifford A. Pickover, ed., St. Martin's Press:
New York (1996), pp. 77-115
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