Artificial Intelligence: Illustrations of Venice

When you think of Venice, you may imagine a certain colour palette. But take a look at the illustrations and paintings below and it becomes clear: There’s no such thing as a ‘Venice palette’. It’s entirely possible to depict Venice as ominous and sinister, as well as beautiful.

Venice Canal Afternoon Jane Peterson 1920

One-Night-In-Venice-poster-by-Elio-circa-1925

Francis Cadell 1910 Venice

John Singer Sargent (American,1856 – 1925) Venetian Passageway, 1905

Maria Malibran, Hotel Malibran and Nane Moras Restaurant, Venice. An illustration for a postcard.

Venice by Maurice Prendergast c.1898 – c.1899

The Bridge of Sighs. Illustration by G. Fernand c 1900. Someone has written on the postcard in French that the illustrator has made a mistake because the women in Venice always wear black shawls.

‘Venice in London.’ (1920) Dora Meesom

Bernie Fuchs, Merchant of Venice c.1980

Dulac, Venice from The London Illustrated News, 1912

Alfred Sisley 1839–1899) Snowtime-in Venice, Nadon 1880. It doesn’t snow in Venice very often, but when it does, it does!

Georges Dorival (1879 – 1968) 1921 travel poster illustration for Venice

George-Barbier-Fireworks-in-Venice

Ex-pat American artist John Singer Sargent especially loved Venice. He made numerous trips to paint the waterways between 1902 and 1912. He worked in watercolour because watercolour captures the light.

‘Venetian Passageway.’ John Singer Sargent

Guidecca

1905, John Singer Sargent, view of a sotto portego, or passageway, off the Rio della Misericordia in Venice

PAINTINGS OF VENICE USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Now, using stock photos of Venice I’m going to create some brand new paintings of Venice. First, I’m using the colour palette of a completely non-Venice related painting by Gabriele Münter. Let’s see what the AI generator does with it.

Kochel, Snowy Landscape with Houses, 1909 Gabriele Münter, (German 1877 – 1962)

Not too bad. Large brush strokes obfuscate the details somewhat. Is this Venice? Could be. It’s kept the nice black outline of the woman walking on the left.

Made with Night Cafe Studio

These are perhaps the ‘storybook colours’ of Venice. This time I’ll use the style of an actual painting of Venice.

In Venice Paul Cornoyer (American impressionist painter, 1864-1923)

There’s some purple and green in the sky which I don’t really want. It’s a little dark down in that bottom left corner. Other than that, not too bad?

A view of Venice Paul Cornoyer style, done with Deep Dream Generator

Now to the brightly coloured buildings of Burano Island. For this we need a bright style illustration so I’ll borrow the style of Kenneth Steel, famous for his travel posters.