never-ending gallery

[Geoffrey]

LisaLCFan wrote:
>For me, one of the greatest appeals of "art" is that it is a genuine expression of the human experience, something which can move us and resonate with us because of a shared history and background with those who created it -- humans who have loved and lost, dreamed and wondered, thought deeply and contemplated, laughed and cried. Those things matter to me, when it comes to art -- they make art valuable and worthwhile.
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wonderful paragraph; wish i could write something like that - thank you!
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a couple of commanders in chief.

[Geoffrey]

LisaLCFan wrote:
>I do not share your enthusiasm for AI in the arts. I can understand the intrigue of using AI programmes for one's own personal amusement -- playing around with software and data undoubdtedly has its challenges and pleasures. But, as a lover of the arts, I find myself failing to be intrigued by -- or interested in -- the products produced by AI, for I cannot ignore their inherent lack of humanity: there is such a coldness and lifelessness to AI produced works, for they did not arise from human thoughts or emotions or feelings which are full of significance, but from meaningless data.
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so fascinating to read different points of view on something, especially concerning art. i have actually considered moving on from using A.I. as a tool to make pictures, mostly because a simple pencil is so much faster - so we'll see what develops. to write innumerous prompts in the search for a suitable image, and then engage in the subsequent adjustments, takes time and computer software skill. so i too have negative thoughts about this powerful new invention.

on the plus side, it can be challenging, so long as one has the patience - which i don't really have. also, it can spark interesting discussions, like this one. not every day a controversial new tool (digital paintbrush?) for someone who likes creating pictures appears on the scene. if one manages to avoid 'A.I. anxiety' - as it is called - there opens up a vast landscape to explore - and i feel i have done that.

[abby]

AI shmai eye I love the covers that say Strike Me Down God If You Dare

How dare you??? Ha!

[abby]

Can I be in this thread too? I jumped in rather rudely & geoffrey knows me & thats not out of character. But you're the only two holding down the fort, you two & that actual living saint dar. Anyway can I play too? From time to time? I will try to play more nicely.

[LisaLCFan]

Can I be in this thread too? I jumped in rather rudely & geoffrey knows me & thats not out of character. But you're the only two holding down the fort, you two & that actual living saint dar. Anyway can I play too? From time to time? I will try to play more nicely.

Hey, Abby, everyone is welcome to play here! Please feel free to post pictures, comments, writing, whatever! See you around!

[Geoffrey]

just to say i am not well, have picked up a bug and can manage very little. will catch up soon as possible. by wednesday or thursday should feel stronger. now back to bed.

[dar]

So sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Rest up and see you when you're doing better.

[abby]

Lisa, thank you soooo much for the warm welcome. I'm Abby. geoffrey, please get well soon.

[Geoffrey]

thanks for wishing me well. i'm getting back to normal
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gentleman and lady enjoying quality time together.

[abby]

What the gal sitting on the floor said.

[abby]

I been thinking about the last thing I said. Scratch that. Let me not be disingenuous right off the bat ok. I hate that fucking song, g. Some rat bastard I never shoulda talked to liked it better than all the rest of Leonard's songs. Now who would choose a song like that over, say, oh, I dunno, Queen fuckin' Victoria?
Lisa, what say you re: Tonight Will Be Fine?

[abby]

Omg even in your arms you know I'll never get it right.

[LisaLCFan]

...Lisa, what say you re: Tonight Will Be Fine?

Honestly, I've never given that song much thought -- it doesn't particularly bother me and it has a nice upbeat tune, although it's certainly not high on the list of my favourite Leonard Cohen songs.

However, I like "Tonight Will Be Fine" more than I like the picture that Geoffrey drew! That is not a criticism of his artistic skill (it is very well drawn!), I just don't like the picture. Firstly, I am not a religious person, and so the depiction of Jesus and the "Lord" stuff does not appeal to me. Secondly, I find the tiny female sitting at the "Lord's" feet looking up at him (with him being considerably larger than her, and looking down at her) to reek of the worst female-male stereotypes -- a meek little woman being submissive to a big dominant man -- it makes me gag! And, he'll probably just sleep with her and throw her away, moving onto the next adoring admirer, with no regard for her feelings -- he's a god with a guitar, after all, which probably makes him think that he has the right to be an asshole. Mind you, perhaps I am reading too much into it!

It may well be the case that Geoffrey didn't put as much thought into his picture as I just did -- that is merely my first impression of it, and as Geoffrey knows, both his picture and my reaction to it reflect our own personal biases, beliefs, experiences, etc., which infuse everything that we do, think, and feel!

Cheers, and have a great weekend, everyone!

[abby]

[Ah, Lisa, voice of (dare I say f* cking) sanity 'round these parts. Right feminist without sounding like a woman once, a woman after my own heart. That terribly intimate detail having been divulged, let me now get down to (f*cking) business. (I am so sorry for the long wait.)]

Leave it to a woman to point out the power dynamic in Geoffrey's drawing that I so awkwardly & effortlessly performed for all of us gathered so lightly here.

[LisaLCFan]

Thanks, Abby, but I actually wouldn't call myself a feminist (I hate labels) -- I simply believe that all people are equal, and that everyone should be treated the same way, regardless of their gender. Yes, I am female, I was born that way, but that is simply a fact of my biological existence -- I am a human first, a person first, and my gender does not define me. I have always despised gender stereotypes -- I have never understood them, even as a child, for it seemed ridiculous to me to assume or expect that everyone should be the same, based on a basic biological element over which we had no choice. We have brains and intelligence -- we can use our minds and our figurative hearts to determine our own self identities! I have always hated it when people have thought that I (or someone else) was somehow failing to conform to their artificial notions of gender, or who have tried to impose their own limited conceptions of gender onto me (or others), without considering the fact that everyone is their own person and can be any way that they choose!

I have also met many wonderful people who happen to be male, and who are sensitive and progressive and share my beliefs and values when it comes to equality, for they also find gender stereotypes -- both female and male -- to be distasteful and archaic, certainly not belonging in the 21st Century! I know a lot of men who would roll their eyes at Geoffrey's picture just as I did -- men who see women as people first, not someone who is lesser than them, or there to be dominated, or somehow fundamentally different, but rather, as another person, someone with whom to share the many aspects of life, as an equal!

Of course, not everyone is binary, and all genders are equal and should be treated the same way, without anyone feeling constrained by archaic gender stereotypes! Unfortunately, not all humans evolve at the same rate -- some people are more enlightened than others, while others remain entrenched in dogmas and beliefs that perpetuate the ignorance of past generations, especially when it comes to gender.