Generative art hit the art world from around the 1970βs, where it was generally used to describe geometric abstract art. In the 1970s, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago opened Generative Systems, a department for generative art. As generative art became more commonplace and better understood, newer artists began adopting the technology of generative systems bringing new takes and fresh perspectives to the space.
Casey Reas, HSB-135-006-090-1232-687 + HSB-119-006-090-1366-618,Β 2015
In 2017, an NFT collection called CryptoKitties released one of the earliest experiments using generative art in NFTs. Their generative system created thousands of unique cat drawings. The output of code randomizes the potential output, making unique combinations of a variety of properties. It was also known as a play on art and the blockchain technology β using technology in parallel to the art world and seeing how blockchain could empower the creation of new digital art.
βGenerative art can be seen as a collaboration between an artist and an autonomous systemβ
Generative NFT art is simply art minted on the blockchain using a computer algorithm to determine and assign random properties creating a unique hash that gets coded onto the blockchain.