A Park at Night
March 13th, 2023
There is danger lurking in every shadow behind every lamppost around every tree within every bush in the park at night. It would be better if the lampposts were turned off, then there would be no ambiguity about the situation. And the situation is dire — what would be the reason for anybody to be in the park at night? I mean — a good reason. There are plenty of reasons to be in the park at night for one with sinister aims or by an awfully wrong twist of fate that would lead one there. But out of own volition and willingness? I don’t think so. So, maybe there shouldn’t be any lampposts in parks at all. Look how much would every city and town and village (are there parks in villages?) would save on that — no wasting money on electricity and upkeep for illusory vague spots of brightness that bring no warmth and no better perception of what lies in wait and no security to passerby — only potential menace of unexpected confrontation.
No photograph would produce the ominous feeling that is conveyed in this painting by pigments and oils. The automatic process of duplication of reality on a film or in pixels will never be on the same level as the gentle cares of the human hand guided by abstract understating of the visual stimuli in front of the artist. And thank gods and the evolutionary process that we arrived at that requirement and solution to keep artists necessary. No digital reproduction or AI graphic engine can achieve that a human creator can with the simplicity of very few colors and hues of darkness — YET. They can do a lot — and I’ve been using them a great deal in recent months and their scope and execution of my thoughts and ideas are simply mindboggling, BUT there is still a noticeable difference in art created by AI and by human hands. For how long it will last, I don’t know — but I think I will cherish the knowledge of human creativity and skill and emotional symbolism I already experienced through my interactions with physical art.
