The underlying theory is that art evolves “through small alterations to a known style that produce a new one”
Well, that may be one way a new style of art is created, but any reading of art history tells us this isn’t a sufficient description. There are radical transformations and breaks in art styles and definitions - e.g. Baroness Elsa von Freytag- Loringhoven’s “Fountain” (wrongly attributed to Duchamp).
The problem with these particular GAN images is that they’re art like applying impressionist Photoshop filters to random images is art. It’s not that art can’t be produced that way, but it isn’t, necessarily. If there’s art here, it’s the software itself. Which wasn’t created by the so-called artists, nor was it created to be art not is it even being presented as a readymade.
