Art Blocks Brings Generative Art On Chain

Art Blocks Brings Generative Art On Chain

If NFTs unlocked demand, then Art Blocks, founded by Erick “Snowfro” Calderon, provided a space for demand to meet supply, creating a community where artists could manifest the technological, artistic and conceptual advancements of human history to push boundaries in art. The three genesis projects were released on November 27, including Jeff Davis’s Construction Token, DCA’s (Daniel Calderon Arenas) Genesis and Snowfro’s Chromie Squiggle.

Often credited with (re)launching generative art, Art Blocks was instrumental in introducing a wider audience to generative practice, especially on-chain long-form generative art.

These on-chain long-form generative art roots can be traced to earlier experimentation with systems, chance and community. Art Blocks Founder Calderon was a claimer and admirer of Larva Labs’ CryptoPunks. “As a generative artist, I thought CryptoPunks were a brilliant example of generative art,” Calderon told ArtNews. He arrived at the concept “from the day I claimed my CryptoPunks in 2017,” he told The Monty Report.

After years of exploring generative art and coding, Calderon envisioned a platform where artists could upload algorithms and mint unique, blockchain-verified art pieces in the vein of CryptoPunks.

Despite the influence of CryptoPunks, Art Blocks did not even have an NFT component until 2019. It also struggled to get off the ground in the early days. Calderon continued to The Monty Report: “I hit a wall in 2018 and early 2019, where I was like, ‘okay, yeah, Art Blocks isn’t going anywhere. I can’t communicate my vision. Nobody really wants to use this.’”

It was then that Calderon switched focus from pitching Art Blocks to helping the broader space grow. He began integrating himself into and understanding the tiny ecosystem he was looking to disrupt.

Despite these early setbacks, the platform’s auspicious November launch anticipated trends like few others. And no one, even founder Calderon, saw the enthusiasm that ensued coming, which he told to Le Random when reflecting on the 2020s.

Art Blocks genuinely redefined generative art with its focus on long-form and the NFT space early on in this decade, with the platform still a force in the space today.