Exploring The Cult Of Beauty Through Generative Art

During the 19th century, the Aesthetic Movement circumvented political and symbolic work in favor of focusing on the importance of beauty in art and design. Artists such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Morris, and James McNeill Whistler formed the “Cult of Beauty” to explore the concept, submerging themselves in their own ideas of the word. Eventually, their investigations in painting broadened to include jewelry, furniture, and the architectural decoration of their own living spaces, in an attempt to realize beauty, not just in their artwork, but in everyday life as well. Their homes and lifestyles were awe-inspiring to those who looked on, and their mission to make life more beautiful fascinated the public.

But these investigations into beauty and the efforts to make their lives more aesthetically appealing were of course only observed within the artists’ domain. Their extravagant lifestyles were far removed from the public sphere and could only be appreciated from afar. This distinction still exists in a certain sense, insofar that the public will go to galleries or museums to passively enjoy the artists’ ideas of beauty.

Currently, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London is exhibiting the work of this group of artists, exploring a wide range of mediums and its influence throughout the 19th century. Included in the exhibit is a commissioned interactive installation by Karsten Schmidt that gives visitors to the museum a more participatory role in their appreciation of the work. Loosely inspired by the ornamental works of William Morris, as well as classic Islamic/Indian geometric shapes, Schmidt digitally fabricated a set of polygonal canvases in which users are invited to create patterns that are then projected upon the installation.

As observed in the video above, the projections are kaleidoscopic rivers of quilted colors that undulate and flow endlessly in an infinite range of shapes and designs.

Using an iPad UI, visitors are asked to choose from a series of shapes and colors from a database (all samples from Morris’ actual wallpaper designs) to create their own unique projections. The installation allows visitors to not only build upon the tradition of Aestheticism, but to explore their own vision of beauty, which is not beholden to a few select masters of the form. It takes the concept of beauty as an integral aspect of everyday life and effectively democratizes it within the parameters of the movement.

The installation not only empowers users to legitimately participate in an actual museum exhibit but also instills physical movement in a form of art that is traditionally static. Visitors are able to digitally participate in the updating of a historical art movement through generative processes. It encourages creativity as a primary response to art as opposed to passive appreciation to pre-established artists.

Photos courtesy of Karsten Schmidt.