“From Today, Painting is Dead” — What the Invention of Photography Tells Us About AI
A surprisingly optimistic tale!
The French painter Paul Delaroche — famous for his paintings of historical figures like Queen Elizabeth I — saw one of the first daguerreotypes at an 1840 exhibition and immediately proclaimed, “From today, painting is dead!”
Delaroche was wrong, but I can understand why he felt this way.
His stock in trade was painting dramatic scenes from history. We can get a good sense of his abilities and artistic interests by looking at his portraits of Peter the Great as master of Russia and a dejected, dethroned Napoleon. He aimed to capture important events and people in a way that combined impeccable attention to detail with a flair for the melodramatic.
Imagine the flood of thoughts and emotions that must have rushed through Delaroche’s mind when he saw that early daguerreotype. It must have hit him like a ton of bricks.
By 1840, Delaroche had achieved prominence in the art world. He had mastered his craft after a long and difficult period of training. He spent months, sometimes more, on…
