Figure 3

Several qualitatively different artist career types emerge from quantification through the lens of aesthetic complexity and applying the temporal resemblance model. (A) Compression expression matrix. Each column is a work by Piet Mondrian, arranged 1895 left to 1944 right; rows are transformations. The matrix values indicate difference from his era (from lower blue to higher red; see text for details). Mondrian starts out on average traditional, but eventually develops his iconic style, departing from the mainstream. (B) Temporal resemblance values of Mondrian’s works. Points <0 correspond to works resembling art in the past, points >0 anticipate art that has not yet been created, as their closest neighbors in compression space lie in the future. The curved line is a GAM fit. The strip of larger thumbnails are examples close to the curve. Panels (C)-(F) depict 20 example careers grouped as 4 arguably distinct types of career trajectories. We find outstanding artists similar to Mondrian, versatile innovators like Cezanne, mainstream artists like Bierstadt, and that move ahead and then behind the mainstream like Whistler