Lowbrow art, aka pop surrealism, has been around for decades and has captured the hearts of artists and art lovers. Its roots in underground art and its mix of pop culture, humor and irreverence make it a cool and fun genre. With AI tools it’s never been easier to make your own lowbrow art even if you’re not a professional artist. In this guide we’ll take you through the steps to make your own lowbrow art with AI and also explore what lowbrow is and why it’s important in modern art.
What is Lowbrow Art?
Lowbrow art was born in Los Angeles in the late 1960s as a populist art movement rejecting the rules of fine art. Often considered underground art, lowbrow artists challenge what art should be and blend high and low culture with street art, comic books and various subcultures like punk rock, tiki culture and hot-rod culture. It’s an unapologetic celebration of the bizarre, the kitsch and the culturally marginalized.
As it evolved into pop surrealism it gained momentum. A style characterized by vivid imagery, surrealistic themes and a deep connection to popular culture. Artists in this genre use humor, satire and symbolism in their work making it both fun and thought provoking. Lowbrow art is often bright, with big characters and fantastical settings that blur the line between reality and dreamscapes.
Lowbrow art is not just about looks – it’s a statement. It’s a reaction against the elitism of the art gallery and the art world. Artists like Robert Williams the father of lowbrow art have been the ones who defined and spread the movement.
History of Lowbrow Art
Lowbrow art was born out of the exclusivity and pretentiousness of the modern art world. It wanted to bridge the gap between fine art and everyday culture. It drew from the ordinary and the unconventional. The populist roots of the movement are in its accessibility – you don’t need an art degree to like or make lowbrow art. This art form is about the experiences, humor and challenges of everyday people so it’s relatable by default.
One of the main figures of the underground visual art movement is lowbrow artist Robert Williams. He worked with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth in the 1960s doing ads and intricate oil paintings with controversial and bold imagery. Williams founded Juxtapoz Magazine & Culture Magazine and was part of the group of other artists who created Zap Comix, collaborating with underground cartoonists like Robert Crumb, Rick Griffin, S. Clay Wilson, and Gilbert Shelton. Williams is credited with coining the term “lowbrow art” to describe the style that combined his art with pop culture and street art. His art is irreverent and his work in the underground comix scene with Coochy Cooty cemented his status in the counterculture art world.
AI in Lowbrow Art
AI has opened up new doors for creativity, artists and enthusiasts can now produce imaginative and complex art with minimal technical skill. AI can’t replicate the intricate techniques of artists like Robert Williams but it can help generate lowbrow inspired art that combines pop surrealism, graffiti and street art.
If you’ve ever liked the irreverence of lowbrow art AI tools like Leonardo AI, Midjourney and Nightcafe AI can help you bring your ideas to life. These platforms allow you to input detailed prompts and get art that looks like lowbrow and pop surrealism.
How to Make Your Own Lowbrow Art
Making lowbrow art with AI is easy and fun even for beginners. Follow these steps to get started.
1. Choose Your AI Art Generator
First step is to choose your AI art generator. There are many out there but Leonardo AI stands out due to its advanced features and flexibility. It has fine tuned models, guidance control and customizable elements that allows you to control many aspects of your art. Midjourney and Nightcafe AI are also great options for lowbrow art.
2. Write Your Prompt
The prompt is crucial to get the style and aesthetic you want. Be as detailed as possible. Think of the elements of lowbrow art you want to include – humor, bright colors, pop culture references, surrealism. For example:
"Masterpiece, highly detailed, (((lowbrow art))) trashy woman with tattoos standing next to a hotrod, Robert Williams art, with a dingy composite overlay, full body, emphasis on popular culture, consumerism, and mass media, pop art, dingy color palette with an overlapping wash of grime, vibrant energy and motion encapsulated, fluidity and light dynamics, striking visual contrast, artful fusion of figure and abstract elements, HD quality."
By including specifics like “Robert Williams art” and the lowbrow movement hallmarks you can guide the AI to produce more accurate and better images that fit the esthetic.
3. Refine Your Art
After your initial art is generated you can refine it using the advanced features of your chosen AI tool. Leonardo AI for example has an “Elements” feature that allows you to adjust the style, colors and overall feel of the image.
For these images I used Digital Painting 40%, Dark Arts 30%, Colorful Scribbles 20% to get lowbrow art that’s playful and subversive. The AlbedoBase XL model was also used giving you more cartoon artistic which will help you get a fine art quality that’s part of the underground art scene.
4. Iterate
One of the best things about working with AI is the experimentation. If the first output doesn’t look like what you had in mind you can iterate on your prompt, try different models or adjust specific elements until you get the lowbrow art you want. Don’t be afraid to get weird, sometimes the weirdest results are the best.
5. Try Different Styles
Lowbrow art is all about breaking the rules so go ahead and experiment with different themes, patterns and techniques. Try to incorporate different subcultures like graffiti, comic book art or even punk music into your AI art. The underground art world is huge and your lowbrow art should reflect your own perspective in it.
Lowbrow Art in Contemporary Art
Lowbrow art was once rejected by the mainstream critics but now it’s a big and respected movement in contemporary art. Its humor, boldness and street culture has influenced galleries, exhibitions and even fine art. Artists like Robert Williams has been pushing the boundaries of what’s considered “acceptable” in art and brought underground culture to the surface.
Pop surrealism is on the rise with galleries all over the world hosting pop surrealism exhibitions. Lowbrow art appeals to a wide audience because it’s accessible and relatable. It challenges the traditional art norms and celebrates the absurdity and complexity of modern life.
Conclusion
Creating lowbrow art with AI is not only fun but also a way to be part of a popular art movement that has changed the art world. By using AI tools you can get unique and cool pieces that are lowbrow art, combining street culture, fine art and popular imagery.
Get weird and start now!
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