Art does not depend on who uses what, but what is created!
The advent of new technologies and mediums in the art world has often been met with skepticism and resistance, and this pattern can be traced back through history.
Photography and Art
When photography was invented in the 19th century, many artists and critics were concerned about its impact on art. Photography was seen by some as a purely mechanical process that lacked the creativity and expression of traditional painting and drawing. The French painter Paul Delaroche is famously rumored to have declared upon seeing a daguerreotype (an early type of photograph), "From today, painting is dead!" The fear was that photography would replace traditional methods of creating art, especially for portraiture and landscape, areas where photography excelled due to its ability to capture reality with precision.
However, over time, photography became recognized as an art form in its own right, with its unique ability to capture moments in time and to present reality from unique perspectives. Artists began to use photography as a tool in their work, and it also influenced artistic movements, such as Impressionism, which sought to capture the feeling of a moment rather than its precise appearance.
Oil Paint vs. Watercolor
The introduction of oil paint is another example of technological innovation in art, though it dates back much further. Oil painting became particularly prominent in the 15th century, though it had been used earlier. Its rise to prominence in the art world provided artists with new possibilities, such as greater flexibility in blending colors and creating texture, as well as the ability to work on a painting over an extended period due to the slow drying times of oil paints.
This did not mean that oil painting was universally accepted at first. There was skepticism about the medium, particularly from those who were accustomed to the existing techniques of tempera, which used egg yolk to bind pigments and allowed for detailed and precise works, and frescoes, which were painted on wet plaster. Each of these methods had their own unique qualities and advantages. However, the resistance to oil painting was more about the reluctance to change established techniques and the skepticism towards new methods rather than a conflict between artists similar to what you described between oil and watercolor painters.
In fact, watercolor painting has been around for centuries as well, and its use continued alongside the development of oil painting. Each medium offers different qualities and serves different artistic expressions. While there might have been individual preferences and biases, the tension between oil and watercolor paints was less about rivalry and more about the evolution of artistic expression.
In both cases — photography and oil paint — the initial resistance eventually gave way to acceptance and integration into the artistic canon. Similarly, it's possible that as AI-generated art continues to develop, it may find its own place within the broader spectrum of artistic expression, evolving from a point of contention to a recognized and valued form of creativity.
