Artist Petros Vrellis works comfortably in that strange medium where technology meets classical art. In 2012, he created an interactive van Gogh painting that we wish was an app (he made it an app a month later). For his latest piece, Vrellis uses a computer algorithm and a circular loom to create stunning El Greco-inspired portraits, all meticulously built by hand.
My initial reaction to Vrellis’ art is to think “that’s not how string works.” Talking with Hackaday, Vrellis explained that he broke the painting down into pixels, assigned each dark section of the painting a higher number. Then using a computer, he calculated the 200 different possible outcomes for the 3000-4000 passes needed to complete the work.
But the most mesmerizing moment is when the jumbled mess of lines actually starts to resemble one of El Greco’s beautiful portraits. I could watch this amazing dance of thread work all day
