Art
Techniques
From a technical point of view, most of my work comes from the intersection of traditionally distant worlds: robotics, artificial intelligence, neuroaesthetics and figurative art. However, I also often resort to traditional expressive techniques. In any case, almost all of my works are flanked by a narrative that is an integral part of them. The connection is so close that I have called this mode of expression "Didascalysm."
The robot is the medium, the keeper of the performing action, the object that draws, etches or trowels.
The robot itself would be useless without an intelligence that can guide it. It often coincides with a mathematical algorithm. The possibility of generating the complex from simple rules exerts a fascination in me that is the prime spur of all my stylistic research. Other times I make use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, but sparingly, since AI is powerful but uncontrollable. It is like salt in food: it makes any dish tasty but risks covering up basic tastes.
What is brushstroke for a traditional painter is mathematical object for me. Over time I have learned to construct my own expressive syntax. I mix filters, algorithms and software into a "digital palette" that I can decipher. For me, mathematical formulas have souls: some are melancholy and insecure, others are firm and strong, and still others lack character. For this artistic journey, in which tenics often touches on the "sense of beauty," I drew from the world of neuroaesthetics, a scientific discipline that attempts to discover the secrets of aesthetics from scientific analysis.
Robotic Drypoint
The engraving below was made on September 25, 2019, by a UR10 robot guided by two separate algorithms: the first was in charge of the outline, the second of the gray levels typical of hatching. It is the world's first engraving ever made by a robot.
The video shows the movement of the burin; the tip with a 90-degree opening cone gives a characteristic dense and jagged trattao.
Watercolor
This technique involves using brushes programmed to lay down successive layers of pigments having different viscosities and characteristics, such as watercolor and tempera. The following video was made at increased speed. Most of the works made with the watercolor technique were made in collaboration with Lorenzo Scalera.
Robotic trowel
The trowel is not an easy tool to use. Compared to the brush, the variables involved are high. Even creating a color palette that progressively degrades from black to white is a challenge not yet solved by technology. This painting was made in collaboration with Andrea Beltramello.