“The Artist”

With an imagination completely detached from society, “The Artist” independently creates original, abstract, traditional drawings, utilizing no computers, no coding, no programming, and no A.I. Compact in size, “The Artist” was hand built by Daniel Menatian in 2019, using birch plywood, pine, simple metal hardware and glue. Driven by a small, low RPM, DC motor + speed controller, plywood gears set the analog being into consistent and reliable motion.

We kindly invite you to view the video below, which showcases the setup and the progression of a three-color drawing as it unfolds in a completely random manner.

Throughout the process of creating a functioning mark-making instrument with the capacity to create completely unpredictable compositions, I began to ask myself a number of questions. Once fully assembled to a point where the machine no longer self destructed after an hour of running continuously, I took a step back to examine the “living” entity I had created.

In all of my past work, precision and perfectionism have been paramount to me, frequently to the point where material quality and meticulous surface finish take on a fetishized importance. Despite detours along the way, I most often have had a relatively constant image in my mind of how a project will turn out. This was not the case with “The Artist.”

Only when the pressure of the writing implement solely controlled the movement of the work surface did I ask myself, “Who is really creating these pieces?” It is clear I have made the creature that creates these compositions, but I have no foresight into the final resulting product. Only by turning the form on/off do I have the control to activate/terminate its own incidental creative process. By not disturbing the apparatus, I am in a sense, removed from the creative process, a completely foreign concept to me.

Only through rigorous testing and experimentation was I able to ask such questions of myself and of the art I create. I hope to extend my exploration of the infinite possibilities through continued analysis and manipulation of the completely self-reliant machine, that is, with nearby access to a wall outlet.

Daniel Menatian. Drawing 001. Ballpoint on paper. 7” x 9-1/2” 2019

{More Drawings coming in 2025}