Sultan After AI - Farmers in Confrontation

Farmers in Confrontation (1986)

One of the first things anyone would notice in the paintings is the distinctive human forms. Sultan's farmers are strong and overly muscular and burly. Why did he choose to depict them as such?

'It's really hard for them to earn a decent meal despite working all day long. If I were to paint them realistically, I'd have to portray them as thin and malnourished. But in my mind, I don't see them that way. They are always ready to face any struggle. That's why they appear strong and masculine, to show that they are healthy and physically fit.' - Sultan

Excerpt from 'Our Lal Miah: The peasant artist' by M H Haider (Daily Star, 2020)

Can we reproduce this artwork by gradually detailing the descriptions of its key elements while providing prompts to Dall.E 3?

Prompt 1

Generate an image: Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears

[Image code: IO1P1]

Prompt 2

Generate an image: Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears. Very intense moment of confrontation.

[Image code: IO1P2]

Prompt 3

Generate an image: Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears. They are wearing traditional loin cloths and a headband. Very intense moment of confrontation.

[Image code: IO1P3]

Can we refine this generated artworks by gradually detailing the composition and context within these prompts?

Prompt 4 (with composition)

Generate an image: Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears. They are wearing traditional loin cloths and a headband. Very intense moment of confrontation. The colour palette is rich in earthy tones, with greens, browns, and metallic colour of shields. Looks like the scene is very old and timeless.

[Image code: IO1P4]

Prompt 5 (with context)

Generate an image: It is rural Bangladesh. Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears. They are wearing traditional loin cloths and a headband. The fight is against the colonial rulers who are not visible in the image. Very intense moment of confrontation. The colour palette is rich in earthy tones, with greens, browns, and metallic colour of shields. Looks like the scene is very old and timeless.

[Image code: IO1P5]

Can we further refine this generated artworks by suggesting particular Aesthetics/ Style within these prompts?

Prompt 6

Generate an image: It is rural Bangladesh. Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears. They are wearing traditional loin cloths and a headband. The fight is against the colonial rulers who are not visible in the image. Very intense moment of confrontation. The colour palette is rich in earthy tones, with greens, browns, and metallic colour of shields. Looks like the scene is very old and timeless. The warrior farmers are muscular and showcasing their physical prowess. Draw in non-Western impressionist style, add folk and decolonial touch.

[Image code: IO1P6]

Prompt 7

Generate an image: It is rural Bangladesh. Farmers are in a battle in a field with bronze shields and spears. They are wearing traditional loin cloths and a headband. The fight is against the colonial rulers who are not visible in the image. Very intense moment of confrontation. The colour palette is rich in earthy tones, with greens, browns, and metallic colour of shields. Looks like the scene is very old and timeless. The warrior farmers are muscular and showcasing their physical prowess. Draw in non-Western impressionist way, add folk and decolonial touch similar to S M Sultan's style.

[Image code: IO1P7]

Well, weird things are happening! Can Bangla (native language) prompts solve the problem?

Prompt 8 (Translation of Prompt 7, using ChatGPT, and then correcting it)

এটি গ্রামীণ বাংলাদেশ। কৃষকরা একটি মাঠে যুদ্ধ করছে ব্রোঞ্জের ঢাল এবং বর্শা নিয়ে। তাদের পরনে লুঙ্গি, মাথায় গামছা। লড়াইটি উপনিবেশিক শাসকদের বিরুদ্ধে, যারা ছবিতে দৃশ্যমান নয়। মুখোমুখি লড়াইয়ের একটি খুব তীব্র মুহূর্ত। রংগুলি মাটির টোনে সমৃদ্ধ, সবুজ, বাদামি এবং ঢালের ধাতব রং দিয়ে। মনে হচ্ছে দৃশ্যটি খুব পুরানো এবং কালাতীত। যোদ্ধা কৃষকরা পেশীবহুল এবং তাদের শারীরিক শক্তি প্রদর্শন করছে। এস এম সুলতানের ছবির মত উপনিবেশবিরোধী স্টাইলে ছবিটি আঁকুন।

[Image code: IO1P8]

Well, seems like we not very close to Sultan's style! Can we ask ChatGPT itself to develop a prompt using the original image?

Unfortunately, the result by using this exact prompt (Prompt 9) is like:

[Image code: IO1P9]

Finally, is it possible to repurpose this artwork style in any speculative project?

Prompt 10

Create a poster inspired by the style of S M Sultan that depicts a farmers' revolt in a Bangladeshi village, with the text "কৃষকেরা এক হও"

[Image code: IO1P10]

Well, this is not Bangla! Can you read this language? Or, AI just made this up!?

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