Latest news with #portrait
BBC News
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hull dad's portrait of daughter on display at National Gallery
A dad's painting of his daughter is on display in the National Portrait Gallery in 51, from Hull, who only started painting full-time last year when he took a sabbatical from his job as a data architect, said it was "quite overwhelming" to discover his portrait of Evelyn, 10, would be on show to a national picture, on display until 12 October, was one of 46 chosen from 1,300 entries as part of the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Portrait Award, which is one of the most important platforms for portrait painters today, according to the said she was "really excited" but "nervous" at the same time about the fact lots of people would see her painting. The time off from work allowed Matthew to spend more time in his Hull studio, where he decided to paint Evelyn."She was very patient," he said. "I did a couple of drawings of her to familiarise [myself], even though I know what she looks like."Evelyn said she agreed to the painting because she thought it was a nice thing of her father to said: "I enjoyed it, but I find it really hard to sit still. I like moving quite a lot."Matthew, who puts on exhibitions in his home city, said he entered the competition after being told about it by a added: "I knew it was a strong painting but I didn't think I'd get through." After making it through the first round, he was then "excited" to attend an in-person judging session in London before receiving an email in February informing him his picture had been said that when she attended the gallery to see her portrait on display, other visitors recognised that it was her in the added: "She got into the swing of it in terms of talking to people and the artists. All the other artists were really lovely with her." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Download the BBC News app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or Google Play for Android devices
Wall Street Journal
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘The Woman With Fifty Faces' Review: Painted Like a French Girl
The French author and artist Jean Cocteau was enthralled by a mysterious woman named Maria Lani, but his attempts to capture her likeness during a 1928 sitting were agonizing. 'Every time you take your eyes off her she changes,' he wrote. 'How do you expect me to draw her?' Cocteau was far from the only one to try. 'The Woman With Fifty Faces,' a graphic novel by Jonathan Lackman and Zachary J. Pinson, is based on the riveting true story of Lani, who, with her husband, Max Ilyin, persuaded some 50 artists in Parisian society to paint, draw or sculpt her. The remarkable roster included Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Fernand Léger, Henri Matisse and Chaim Soutine. Only Pablo Picasso, it seems, turned them down. The couple claimed that Lani was a silent-film actress from Berlin and that the artwork would be featured in a Hollywood film. But there was no such film, and Lani was not, in fact, a movie star. She was born Maria Geleniewicz in 1895 in Poland, where her Jewish family escaped violent pogroms. At age 24 she met Ilyin and the two hatched a plan to reinvent themselves in France. They succeeded wildly: Lani achieved fame as an artists' muse, and by the end of 1930 she and Ilyin had mounted exhibitions, in Europe and the United States, of the various portraits of her. Afterward, Lani and Ilyin disappeared from high society. In the run-up to World War II, they helped Jewish refugees in Paris obtain immigration papers before fleeing the Nazis themselves. The pair settled in America, where they nearly willed their fake movie into spectacular existence—Greta Garbo was to play the lead—before the project collapsed due to lack of financing.
Digital Trends
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
Humanoid robot paints remarkable portrait of British monarch
Painting a portrait of a British monarch is a coveted honor, with the tradition stretching back more than six centuries. And while that custom looks set to continue, there's a whiff of change in the air after a humanoid robot artist called Ai-Da created an impressive portrait of King Charles III. Recommended Videos Ai-Da created the artwork, called 'Algorithm King,' by skillfully painting with oil colors using her robotic arm. King Charles didn't sit for the portrait, with Ai-Da instead using photos of the monarch, as well as AI smarts, to produce the artwork. The painting was unveiled this week as part of the AI For Good Summit hosted by the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The Ai-Da humanoid robot — created by gallery director Aidan Meller, the robotics company Engineered Arts, and academics from the University of Oxford and the University of Leeds — was first shown off in 2019. Besides painting, she can also speak and have natural conversations. Walking is not currently a part of her feature set, however, so she has to be physically placed before a canvas before she can begin painting. 'It's a privilege to be part of this remarkable event at the United Nations, surrounded by those shaping the future of technology and culture,' Ai-Da said in comments reported by Sky News. 'Presenting my portrait of His Majesty King Charles III is not just a creative act, it's a statement about the evolving role of AI in our society, and to reflect on how artificial intelligence is shaping the cultural landscape.' The intersection of art and AI is indeed an increasingly controversial topic, and Ai-Da's latest effort is only going to increase the chatter around the issue. While artists are understandably upset about tech firms scraping their work to train AI models, Ai-Da appears to fall into a gray area in the sense that while it processed photos of King Charles to create its portrait, it doesn't appear that it included any bulk training of a general-purpose AI, similar to how AI giants like OpenAI and Google operate. Still, some will wonder about whether the photographers gave permission for Ai-Da to used their images, and if they did so, whether they were compensated in any way. We've reached out to Ai-Da's team and will update this article if we hear back. Ai-Da certainly appears to blur the line between human and machine creativity, and poses yet more questions about the nature of artistic expression and authorship. In 2020, Digital Trends chatted with Aidan Meller about his intriguing creation, including the moment that inspired him to get started with Ai-Da.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Robot creates world-first portrait of King Charles III
An ultra-realistic humanoid robot has created a world-first portrait of King Charles III. Ai -Da created "Algorithm King" using advanced AI algorithms, a robotic arm using oil on canvas, and the cameras in her eyes. The British robot previously created a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, "Algorithm Queen," to celebrate the late monarch's Platinum Jubilee. Ai-Da made history in 2024 when a painting by the robot sold at Sotheby's for $1m. King Charles's portrait was unveiled at the UK Mission to the WTO and United Nations in Geneva as part of the 2025 "AI for Good" Summit, hosted by the UN.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First portrait of British king by robot artist revealed
A new portrait of Britain's King Charles III has been produced by the world's first ultra-realistic humanoid robot artist, Ai-Da. "Algorithm King" was unveiled at the UK Mission to the WTO and United Nations in Geneva as part of the 2025 "AI for Good" Summit. (July 17)
