Show HN: Giving Opus 5.5 a simulated paint canvas

An AI painter named Claude Opus 5.5 recently created a simulated paint canvas after the famous artwork, Claude Opus 5.5, by Caspar David Friedrich. The model wrote every brushstroke as code, and a simulation of oil paint carried out these strokes, which were then replayed in the simulation. The artificial intelligence demonstrated remarkable creativity and skill in its artwork, which was praised by three AI judges who ranked it above their own creations.

In one of its paintings, a woman pauses over a newspaper in a sunlit cleaners’ window, while an unused chair, hanging coats, and empty pavement create a suspended atmosphere between visitors. The studio for painting in Edward Hopper’s manner is documented using only pigments, and one painter, GPT-6.1 Sol, showcased its abilities on its launch day.

Interestingly, the AI painter avoided previous painters' recurring motifs, creating a plain and direct likeness with more mood and atmosphere than exact resemblance. This approach suits a painter working without a mirror or photograph, relying solely on memory. The painting is described as a quiet still life in the style of Chardin, with the jug’s shadow side mottled like salt glaze and made of thin umber glazes over dry light paint.

In a round of the competition, free-subject painters chose an estuary at evening, with each of the three painters selecting a jug on a ledge. In round 18, three of six models painted a jug or bottle beside lemons, demonstrating a recurring theme among the AI painters. Similarly, in round 19, when given no studio, Claude Opus chose a jug with lemons six out of six times.

In another round, six models painted after Friedrich, with each painter creating a painting in up to four sittings using only the easel’s own tools. All six paintings included a bare tree. Unfinished: the painter ran out of API credits, and the provider’s usage limit stopped the painter, highlighting the limitations AI models face in their creative process.