Postmodern Modernist Art Generator Screensaver
This screensaver explores automating the artist's design process in a lighthearted manner. I systematically break down and simplify the design process for automation by an art generator.

A smaller preview shockwave version of the art generator version 3 is here (opens in new window 48k).

Below are several screenshots of the kind of art that your screensaver will randomly create for you. For more screenshots check out Postmodern modernist gallery III. Thirty-five images generated by Postmodern Modernist Generator version 3.0.

Congress Broken	Cushion Snobbish	Cyberspace Sad	Devil Domineering
Lid Festive	Loser Moaning	Malpractice Tart	Nationality Therapeutic

While the program generates abstract modernist looking output the overall concept of creating an automated artist process is somewhat of a postmodern concept, hence the title "Postmodern Modernist Generator".

Postmodern Modernist Art Generator Screensaver Installers
The screensaver installers can be downloaded from the links below. You may get a security notice from your security software. This is normal and nothing to be alarmed about. All of my downloads are verified as safe by McAfee Site Advisor, check out my page there.

Modernist Art Generator screen saver with music
(7.3 mb Windows only)

Modernist Art Generator screen saver with NO music
(3.4 mb Windows only)

The Music is titled "Serpentine" and you can download it here (MP3 6.9mb) (right click save target as)

Requirements
Requires a PC with a color monitor and screen resolution of 800x600 or higher. Sound card required to hear the audio track for the version with music. Pentium III 1.5 ghz or higher recommended with 20mb of free ram.

Special Thanks to Beta Testers
Special thanks to David Bookbinder of phototransformations.com and flowermandalas.blogspot.com for help with beta testing.

You can support me by linking to this site! You can also support me by Blogging about this screensaver.

See also:
Micro Modernist Art Generator Google Gadget

How the Art Generator Works

The first thing the program does is load a color lookup table of color palettes with 6 colors each (fig 1). Most of the color combinations are sampled from artist and color theorist Josef Albers works and works by other artists that I admire.

fig 1

fig 2

fig 3

fig 4

final output

The engine then generates a 3d virtual world, populates it with primitive objects and assigns them shaders from the current loaded palette. This takes care of the general layout and also creates some volumetric shapes and lines that can work their way into the design. The program then extracts the image from the 3d objects (fig 2 above). A decision tree determines how the image is deconstructed and reconstructed (fig 3 above). The decision tree spawns graphic layers in memory much like layers in Photoshop and manipulates them procedurally before merging them into one image layer (sample layer fig 4 above). Finally rectangular and vector shapes are drawn in the foreground and randomly assigned a blend and the graphic generation process is complete(final output above).

When the graphic processes are complete the program assigns the work a title by combining a noun, an adjective and a random number attempting in futility to assign meaning to the work. While this is a trivial task to program it is an important step in the process of creating a modernist work since modernism seeks to make sense out of the senseless and impose meaning through art where there is none.

For more on this see the project page. I blather on in much more detail there.