Make no mistake, we are living in the era of artificial intelligence. Today, image generators have reached levels of realism that can even deceive our perception. However, almost 50 years ago, a Mexican artist had already experimented with computer-generated drawings.
Manuel Felguérez Barra was born on December 12, 1926, in Valparaíso, Mexico. He studied at the National School of Plastic Arts of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and the National School of Painting and Engraving “La Esmeralda.” He was an outstanding Mexican painter and sculptor who left a significant legacy in the contemporary art world, especially with his project The Aesthetic Machine. Although his work developed mainly in the 1960s and 1970s, his ideas and exploration continue to resonate today, especially in the context of images generated by artificial intelligence (AI).However, Felguérez did not always want to be an artist. In fact, he intended to be a doctor, but in 1947 — just two years after the end of World War II — Felguérez traveled to Europe for the first time. He was so amazed by European art and architecture that, upon his return to Mexico, he decided to become an artist. A few years later, he returned to Paris, where he studied for two years with the Russian Cubist artist Ossip Zadkine who encouraged him to follow the path of art.
Throughout his career, Felguérez always sought to create works that moved the audience, first him and then those who saw them. He believed that art was the essence of the human being and had to be achieved at any cost. However, Felguérez also recognized the complicated aspects of the artistic endeavor and experienced what he himself called a “war against oneself.” That is why he always sought to innovate, to be different, and not to fall into convention. The abstract style of his works, clearly influenced by the master Zadkine, was already an indication of this since he “did not want to be like (José Clemente) Orozco.” However, Felguérez wanted to go even further.
In 1970, Felguérez began experimenting with a nascent invention: computers. Before fearing or rejecting technological advances, Felguérez — who said he was fascinated by mechanics and inventions, especially those of the 19th century — saw in computers an opportunity to innovate in art. For the sculptor and painter, art has a dialectical role. That is, it is in constant exchange with its time and the society in which it develops. Therefore, the artist must make use of the tools at his disposal.
It is important to mention that the computers Felguérez knew were still far from the ones we know today. Instead of ultra-thin screens, Felguérez was confronted with those huge IBM machines that punched cards and performed calculations in seconds, which of course, were revolutionary at the time. Since his work used mathematics and geometry to achieve a pictorial balance, Felguérez considered that computers could be useful to him in the production of plastic art, especially because they would save time.
Thus, it was within the systems identification program that Felguérez fed the machine with a model of his works as a base — similar to the way artificial intelligence learns today — and in about eleven seconds, the computer could generate a sketch by means of a simple wheel that turned with a pen on one end. In a day, the machine could make up to 200 drawings. In this way, Felguérez obtained ideas for new paintings and sculptures.
The result of these experiments was a series of works, exhibitions, and a book that also bears the name The Aesthetic Machine (1975). By the 1980s, however, Felguérez decided to turn off the computer, never to return to it again. Now, he was looking for a new challenge.
Felguérez never stopped working. He created set designs for films and plays and continued to paint and sculpt. He was always close to the most relevant names in the artistic field of his time, such as Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jorge Ibargüengoitia, José Revueltas, and even Gabriel García Márquez.
Manuel Felguérez died in Mexico City in 2020 from COVID-19. Nevertheless, The Aesthetic Machine remains a modern testament to the synthesis between artist and machine. In Felguérez’s work, neither the machine nor he plays the leading role, rather they work together to achieve the goal. The machines did not do all the work, nor did they take creativity away from the artist who still had to find the right combination of colors, for example.
Today, artificial intelligence has taken image generation to a whole new level. The ability of machines to learn patterns and create visual content is astounding. However, the artist’s intervention remains fundamental. Felguérez, like contemporary artists, emphasized the role of the human creator in the direction and interpretation of the work. The machine or algorithm may be a tool, but the artist’s vision and intention are essential to give meaning to the creation.
Manuel Felguérez, through his project The Aesthetic Machine, stands as a pioneer who advanced the convergence between art and technology. Although his work predates the age of artificial intelligence, his experimental approach and his search for new aesthetic forms have found an echo in art generated by algorithms. The connection between these two worlds demonstrates that creativity, whether driven by the human mind or machines, continues to evolve and intertwine in fascinating and surprising ways.