The Emotional and Energetic Value of Hand-Painted Artwork vs. Digital-Only Art
I’ve been painting for many years now—since high school, in fact (which makes it more than just ‘many years’ 😃). Back then, when I was thinking about a career, art wasn’t seen as a serious occupation. So, I chose the next best thing: Commercial Art.
These days, Commercial Art is what people refer to as ‘Graphic Design’.
Yes, it did give me the opportunity to use my artistic abilities in a productive way. And for many years, I made a lucrative living in advertising and marketing as a graphic artist.
As time passed and the wave of ‘progress’ reshaped graphics – and even art itself – we began shifting into a very electronic version of creative expression. At first, this change was mostly confined to the commercial art field, where production became faster, more convenient, and more economical.
Progression of This Work
People began using software instead of hiring talented artists. And the artists? They were replace with skilled computer operators. So now we have digital designers – not quite artists in the traditional sense.
Is there a problem with that?
Well… yes. There is.
But it’s not “The machines are going to take over the world.”
And honestly—let them, I say.
Do we really want a world full of enslaved clerks? Maybe this shift will restructure outdated models of work and money in society, or even replace it with something new as the main currency that drives us. Who knows?
But let’s move on from that…
So, art becomes an electric version of what it once was. And people appreciate it for what it means to them now. That’s just what happens. It’s called progress – for better or worse.
Now, the electronic stage has hit a new high.
AI is everywhere. Even fine art can be recreated—or at least challenged—by AI. Illustration software like MidJourney and its counterparts are producing a new form of art.
Sure, it started out clumsy – with jelly fingers and faces that had two mouths. But with technology evolving at lightning speed, those glitches are being ironed out and will soon be a thing of the past.
Even now, the images and videos flooding our social media feeds are no longer weird. In most cases, you would need to be an AI user yourself to tell if you’re looking at an AI-generated picture, or a real person. And I believe that soon, even the experts won’t be able to tell what’s real and what’s a computer-generated audiovisual experience.
However…Where does Hand-Painted Art fit into the picture now?
I believe that, just like in the past – when people were amazed by artists creating magic with their hands – those irreplaceable skills will become treasured once again.
Yes, you can buy a painting that was created digitally, or generated through the skill of a good AI prompt. But,
Where is the essence?
Where is the skill?
Where is the magic?
A digital creation contains no soul in its conception. It’s a far cry from evoking or reflecting real emotion – because none was present when it was made.
There’s no joy in its completion either, because whatever the result, it’s ‘good enough’ for its binary creator – even if the person in the image has an extra finger, or the dog has rabbit ears.
Even when it’s technically perfect, what is it really? Is it a piece of art—or is it just an image?
Let me know your point of view in the comments below.