life-drawing and astrophysics

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Can You Make Me More Capable? Of Art, Astrophysics and AI

Since the pandemic, I have returned to an old passion of mine–drawing, especially life drawing. I have always loved it. One year I even won my high school’s art award. Over the years, academic work had crowded it out, except for the occasional conference poster or sketching faculty during meetings. During one of the dark pandemic days I wondered if there were any “drop-in” life drawing classes nearby. It turned out there were two, one in a big old house within walking distance (this was NYC). What a great way to overcome some of the social isolation of those years—even when masked. These classes were pretty full, and post pandemic, the number of offerings has grown by leaps and bounds. This seemed somewhat paradoxical to me. At a time when AI can generate beautiful drawings and paintings in virtually any style within seconds, people were still spending hours struggling to sketch a live model. Why? Clearly because it is great fun, relaxing, and an enjoyable (and, in my case, unusual) social activity; getting better at it expands our ability to impart our own creative perspectives. It’s not so much the drawing we want, but the creative power to create them in unique ways. Continue reading →