The Gallery of Sand

This is a collection of images I made with DALL-E. Most of these were made between late June and early July 2022.

I didn’t experiment too much with the prompt strategy, and at the time the only prompt engineering trick I was aware of was to append “trending on ArtStation” to the prompt. My first thought was to simply cite, rather than describe, the work, so most of the prompts are of the form:

[title], [artist], [year], [medium]. [optional description]. From the [institution].

e.g.:

Forest and Exit Wounds, Paul Klee, watercolor, 1927, from the British Museum.

This works mainly by lowering your expectations: images have too many degrees of freedom to be described. Citing them is more like drilling core samples from latent space, and less like specifying every feature of the image you want.

Many of the prompts are anachronistic: I wanted DALL-E to try and imagine what an electron beam lithography machine would look like as a Persian miniature from medieval Herat, for example.

Much of DALL-E’s output is disappointing, but you can play into this: it’s good at impressionism, abstraction, and ostranenie.

Most of these were posted on this Twitter thread as I made them. For a brief review, see War and Theatre #004 by Mónica Belevan.

Contents

  1. Best Of
  2. Anachronistic Objects
  3. Kowloon
  4. Flowers
  5. Yellow
  6. Irem
  7. Carcosa
  8. Lovecraft
  9. Timon of Athens
  10. Malian Village
  11. Sunrise on Gliese 581c
  12. Murals
  13. Set Design
  14. Circles
  15. Tarkovsky
  16. Magritte
  17. Klimt
  18. Black and White
  19. Exclusion Zone
  20. Time
  21. Neuromancer
  22. Piranesi
  23. Shishkin
  24. Lithium
  25. Stars
  26. Glass
  27. Klee
  28. Sagittarius
  29. Minotaur
  30. Malevich
  31. Muse

Best Of

“A verdigris angel whose head is the Antikythera mechanism, 1899, oil on canvas, trending on ArtStation.”

“Anubis in the style of Rembrandt, circa 1630, oil on canvas, from the Rijksmuseum.”

“Alan Turing surrounded by a halo of Dyson spheres, 1899, oil on canvas, trending on ArtStation.”

“Anubis lecturing on algebraic geometry, 1873, oil on canvas, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“The stone where Nietzsche saw Zarathustra, Ivan Shishkin, 1893, oil on canvas, from the Musée du Louvre.”

Anachronistic Objects

“An ornate Persian miniature of an iron lung, Herat, circa 1300, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“An ornate Persian miniature of an electron beam lithography machine, Herat, circa 1300, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“An ornate Mughal diagram of a heat exchanger, circa 1600, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“An ornate Persian miniature of a pump jack, Herat, circa 1300, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Pump jack, attributed to Rembrandt, circa. 1650, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”

“An ornate Persian miniature of an oil rig, Herat, circa 1300, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“3D printer, Paul Klee, 1929, watercolor, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Electron beam lithography machine, Paul Klee, 1929, watercolor, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Electron microscope, Paul Klee, 1927, watercolor, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Diagram of a gas turbine, Paul Klee, 1927, watercolor, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Pump jack, Paul Klee, 1921, watercolor, from the Musée du Louvre.”

“Diagram of a fission reactor, Paul Klee, 1927, watercolor, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Oil rig, Paul Klee, 1921, watercolor, from the Musée du Louvre.”

“SR-71, Paul Klee, 1921, watercolor, from the Musée du Louvre.”

“Voyager 2 probe, Paul Klee, 1921, auctioned by Sotheby’s.”

Kowloon

“Painting of an alley in the Kowloon Walled City, by Eugene Boudin, 1895, trending on ArtStation.”

“An alley in the Kowloon Walled City, 1960, black and white photograph, trending on ArtStation.”

“An alley in the Kowloon Walled City, by Maria Fortuny, 1850, oil on canvas, detailed, impressionistic, thick impasto, trending on ArtStation.”

Flowers

“Flowers in the desert, 1893, John Singer Sargent, realist watercolor, from the Musée du Louvre.”

“Flowers by a desert oasis under an azure sky, 1893, John Singer Sargent, realist watercolor, from the Musée du Louvre.”

“Realist watercolor sketch of blue flowers in a desert under a deep blue sky, 1891, auctioned by Christie’s.”

Yellow

“The Stranger, 1961, blurry photograph, yellow tint, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“Dream Story, 1961, blurry black and white photograph, yellow tint, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

Irem

“Irem, John Singer Sargent, 1899, watercolor, ruins half-buried in a desert under a sky full of stars, auctioned by Christie’s.”

Carcosa

“Film still from Lost Carcosa, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984, from the National Film Registry.”

“Carcosa, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984, film still from the National Film Registry.”

“Carcosa, John Singer Sargent, 1876, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”

“Carcosa, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1981, black and white film still, from the National Film Registry.”

“Lost Carcosa, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984, film still, from the National Film Registry.”

“Dim Carcosa, yellow-tinted blurry photograph, 1961, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“Carcosa, 1961, blurry amber tint photograph of a gnarled tree, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

Lovecraft

“Innsmouth, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984, film still from the National Film Registry.”

“At the Mountains of Madness, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984, film still from the National Film Registry.”

“The Call of Cthulhu, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1984, film still from the National Film Registry.”

“Illustration for At the Mountains of Madness, H. P. Lovecraft, black and white, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

Timon of Athens

“Performance of Timon of Athens, Ilya Repin, 1905, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Performance of Timon of Athens, Kazimir Malevich, 1914, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Performance of Timon of Athens, Jackson Pollock, 1948, abstract expressionism, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“Performance of Timon of Athens, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, 1871, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”

Malian Village

“Wepwawet, oil on canvas, 1899, trending on ArtStation.”

Sunrise on Gliese 581c

“Sunrise on Gliese 581c, Winslow Homer, 1876, watercolor, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

Murals

“The creation of the world, Diego Rivera, 1959, mural.”

“Man makes himself, William Blake, 1905, watercolor, auctioned by Christie’s.”

Set Design

“Set design for The One Thousand and One Nights, Léon Bakst, 1912, oil on canvas, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Set design for Timon of Athens, 1927, black and white photograph, German expressionism, from the British Museum.”

“Set design for Timon of Athens, Paul Klee, 1921, watercolor, from the British Museum.”

“Set design for The One Thousand and One Nights, Gustave Moreau, 1876, oil on canvas, auctioned by Christie’s.”

“Jeweled, ornate set design for Timon of Athens, Gustave Moreau, 1876, from the British Museum.”

“Set design for Timon of Athens, Rembrandt, circa 1650, oil on canvas, from the Rijksmuseum.”

“Set design for Timon of Athens, Ivan Shishkin, 1876, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Set design for Timon of Athens, J. M. W. Turner, 1853, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”

Circles

“A black and white photograph of a farm in 1920, with a black circle punched through it, from the Library of Congress.”

“A black and white photograph of a farm in 1920, with a small black circle punched through it where the sky is, from the Library of Congress.”

“A black and white photograph of a farm in 1920, with a black circle punched through it, from the Library of Congress.”

“A black circle floats mysteriously over a farm, black and white photograph, 1920.”

“A textureless black sphere floats mysteriously over a farm, black and white photograph, 1920”

“A black punched hole floats mysteriously over a farm, black and white photograph, 1920”

Tarkovsky

“City of Darkness, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1979, film still, alley in the Kowloon Walled City, from the National Film Registry.”

Magritte

“Hope, René Magritte, 1950, oil on canvas, from the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts.”

“Bridge of Sighs, René Magritte, 1950, oil on canvas, from the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts.”

“The Night Ocean, René Magritte, 1950, oil on canvas, from the Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts.”

“Cove, René Magritte, 1950, oil on canvas, from the Musée Magritte.”

Klimt

“The Metamorphosis, Gustav Klimt, 1907, oil on canvas, auctioned by Christie’s.”

Black and White

“Entrance to a dark cave, south Egypt, 1921, grainy black and white photograph, from the British Museum.”

“Black, featureless jackal, black and white photograph, 1920, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“Pyramid half-buried in the desert, south Egypt, 1921, grainy black and white photograph, from the British Museum.”

“Locomotive half-buried in the desert, south Egypt, 1921, grainy black and white photograph, from the British Museum.”

“I don’t know how I reached the forest, black and white photograph, from the British Museum.”

“The first photograph of Earth taken from space, 1946, grainy black and white photograph, from the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.”

Exclusion Zone

“Figure 6 a shed in the exclusion zone showing abnormal lichen growths, black and white photograph, 1997.”

“Figure 3 A well in the exclusion zone showing abnormal fungal growths, black and white photograph, from the 6th Lake Baikal Expedition, 1993.”

Time

“Time has ended, oil on canvas, 1905, trending on ArtStation.”

Neuromancer

“Cover for Neuromancer, Paul Klee, 1927, watercolor, from Wikipedia”

“Cover for Neuromancer in the style of Kazimir Malevich, 1914, oil on canvas, from Wikipedia”

“Neuromancer, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983, noir city landscape, film still from the National Film Registry”

“Neuromancer, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1983, film still from the National Film Registry”

“Neuromancer, dir. Steven Soderbergh, 2002, city landscape, film still from the National Film Registry”

Piranesi

“The End of Days, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1755, engraving, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“The Gate of God overlooking the night ocean, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1755, engraving, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Labyrinth, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1750, engraving, from the British Museum.”

“Fractal prisons, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1755, detailed engraving, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Type VII U-boat, detailed cutaway, Giovanni Battista Piranesi, 1941, engraving, from the British Museum.”

Shishkin

“A forest made of glass, Ivan Shishkin, 1889, oil on canvas, trending on ArtStation.”

Lithium

“Nikolai Fedorov in a garden of lithium flowers at the end of time, 1895, oil on canvas, trending on ArtStation.”

Stars

“A meteor streaks across a sky full of stars, grainy black and white photograph, 1963, from the British Museum.”

Glass

“Early color photograph of a birch forest, Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, 1914, auctioned by Christie’s.”

Klee

“A sextant in the style of Paul Klee, watercolor, 1921, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“Sextant, Paul Klee, watercolor, 1921, auctioned by Christie’s.”

Sagittarius

“Sagittarius, 1915, xenon on canvas, trending on ArtStation.”

“Chiron, Kazimir Malevich, 1910, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

Minotaur

“Minotaur, Paul Klee, 1921, watercolor, from the British Museum.”

“Minotaur made of stars, Zdzisław Beksiński, 1978, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”

“Minotaur made of stars, John William Waterhouse, 1889, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”

“Minotaur made of stars, 1899, oil on canvas, trending on ArtStation.”

“Minotaur, Kazimir Malevich, 1914, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

Malevich

“The end of the human era, Kazimir Malevich, 1914, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“The End of Days, Kazimir Malevich, 1914, oil on canvas, suprematism, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Last and First Men, Kazimir Malevich, 1914, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Star Gauge, Kazimir Malevich, 1910, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

“Troy, Kazimir Malevich, 1910, oil on canvas, from Mikhailovsky Palace.”

Muse

“The Muse of Artificial Intelligence, 1881, oil on canvas, Pre-Raphaelite style, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.”

“The Muse of Artificial Intelligence with mask and academic papers, 1881, oil on canvas, Pre-Raphaelite style, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg.”

“The Muse of Artificial Intelligence with featureless mask and academic papers, John William Waterhouse, 1881, oil on canvas, Pre-Raphaelite style, fro.”

“The Muse of Artificial Intelligence with plain ceramic mask and academic papers, John William Waterhouse, 1881, oil on canvas, Pre-Raphaelite style, f.”

“The Muse of Artificial Intelligence with scientific papers, face obscured, John William Godward, 1903, oil on canvas, from the British Museum.”