Technology, in the right hands, makes beautiful things and makes things beautiful. Artist Peter Shourky has the right set of hands. Here's a closer look at his creations, his thoughts, and how he sees art for our times.
Peter showed signs of being cut-out for greatness even at an early age. For him, normal was subjective. As an artist, he's never satisfied with the surface; he goes deeper to the raw truth that's at the core of things. His first-ever sketch at school signaled the arrival of a man in the scene who will take the art world into the coming era. When asked to draw a still-life portrait of pair of scissors, Peter drew a warzone, where scissors were cutting and mutilating other scissors. This naturally cathartic way of looking at life flows unhindered into his art.
The brilliant and uplifting, paintings, drawings, and sketches carry an underlying tension that informs the viewers' heart of the delicateness of life. Now, by adding technology to his art, Peter creates art that informs us of the infinite possibilities that are staring at us in the era of Artificial Intelligence.
Peter's latest creation, titled 'Spoken', is 'ground-breaking' according to art critics. Using technology, Peter has created portraits that imitate the facial expressions of the viewer. 'In today's modern world with face recognition technology, animated emojis, and selfies, I wondered how I can create a portrait to relate to the audience.' says Peter.
'Spoken' reminds us of the journey art has made so far- from the time of cave paintings to the time of the renaissance great masters, and now, to art that interacts with the viewer through technology. Aldous Huxley's famous ruminations on the drapes in El Greco's paintings throw light on a different kind of interaction between the art and the viewer. It was a time before computers. Nevertheless, the exchange between art and viewer existed. Now, this exchange has transitioned to a new level. And Peter has brilliantly engineered this transition - marrying art with artificial intelligence - in a way that is fitting and respectful both to art and technology. This is, obviously, no easy task, especially, when technology is often seen as an easy-way-out from having to deal with real work. It had to be someone like Peter, with the right discipline, respect for tradition, and a strong drive to explore new territories, who would risk such a task and do it truly, artistically.
