Theory: Basics

I especially like the following famous quote by Sol LeWitt to sum up the core concept:

The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.
Sol LeWitt ("Paragraphs on Conceptual Art," 1967)

A bit more detailed, Philiip Galanter defines it this way:

Generative Art refers to any art practice where
the artist uses a system, such as a set of natural language rules, a computer program, a machine, or other procedural invention, which is set into motion with some degree of autonomy contributing to or resulting in a completed work of art.
Philip Galanter: What is Generative Art?, 2003

We can therefore lay out a few specifics that describe generative art

• It employs a set of rules/conditions eg. to modular entities
• It is systemic and has a degree of autonomy that often leads to emergence
• It generally has some kind of feedback loop
• It usually involves some kind of selection process (eg through the artist's aesthetic vision)
• It is not exclusively technological/digital
• It may be applied to any aesthetic endeavour