MiniMonuments are digital paintings generated by artistically conceived and programmed generative code, which take physical form as prints on medium-density fibreboard (MDF). The digital painting and its physical realization form a single artwork in two different media: the digital work is complete as a visual configuration, while the MiniMonument becomes an art object through its materialization.
The concept of the MiniMonument rests on the distinction between the physical size of an artwork and monumentality as a quality of its visual organization. Monumentality does not arise from physical scale, but from compositional unity, formal organization, and expressive force. This visual structure allows the composition to retain its essential relationships even when its scale changes significantly, including when realized as monumental wall painting.
MiniMonuments are neither icons nor liturgical works, and their depictions of cherubim and seraphim are not attempts to represent or imitate heavenly beings directly. They are symbolic indications of the heavenly orders, informed by an awareness of the ontological and epistemic limits of human knowledge. The impossibility of directly depicting transcendent reality is a premise of the artistic method. The work relates to what it signifies through the organization of line, color, form, rhythm, and the composition as a whole.
The overall composition of each painting takes its cue from canonical symbolic representation in icons. Each generated painting therefore has a basic frame that forms part of the visual composition; a central depiction of a cherub or seraph; and, finally, textual elements, especially the letterforms that spell its name (“Cherub” or “Seraph”). The cherubim and seraphim are depicted as abstract drawings that retain all the canonical elements of their symbolic representation while rendering those elements in an original visual form.
Individual works are produced by artistically conceived and programmed code that generates a large number of related works, each an original and unrepeatable combination of visual elements. The series consist of the outputs of the generative code, without subsequent intervention by the artist to select outcomes or alter visual elements in a generated painting. A physical MiniMonument is the sole authorized physical realization of the painting, printed on a 32 × 48 cm MDF panel, 30 mm thick. Each MiniMonument is a unique and unrepeatable physical realization, identified by the color scheme engraved on its reverse. The algorithm ensures that a color configuration once produced cannot be generated or materialized again.
AESTHETICS
The central depictions of cherubim and seraphim are based on organized flows of wings whose tips take the form of stylized peacock feathers. The halo and the Glory of God form distinct symbolic and compositional units, joined by a stylized cave signifying the Nativity of the Lord, Golgotha and the Crucifixion, the symbols alpha and omega, the Christogram, crosses, and stars. In this way, the composition connects the heavenly order with the central events of Christian salvation history. Lines suggesting energies, as well as dotted paths evoking prayer ropes, play a special role in the paintings. The flowing lines establish dynamic relationships among the parts of the composition, while the dotted sequences introduce rhythmic repetition that, through the symbolism of the prayer rope, points to the act of prayer.
Textual elements are an integral part of the painting and contribute to the visual harmony of the composition. The text is conceived as an original typographic and visual solution. The letters and words of the hymns are arranged as visual units with distinct qualities; spatial coordination of the letters is made possible by variations in their size.
The two series differ in their central visual depictions of a cherub or a seraph. These differences determine the placement of the symbols Α (alpha), Ω (omega), and the Christogram, as well as the rendering of the drawing’s textual elements. The series also differ in their corresponding inscription: “Cherub” or “Seraph”.
Color provides variation within each series and draws on twelve colors from the Byzantine palette. Both series use the same palette. Each generated work has an original, unrepeatable combination of colors, making it unique in both artistic and visual terms. Within each work, colors are assigned to areas defined by the underlying drawing, including the background and frame. The allocation and arrangement of colors in a particular work depend on the generative code.
The operation of the generative code and the variability of colorization enable interactivity. Through the “Color” and “Vary” functions, the user participates in defining unique color configurations within the visual and algorithmic rules established by the artist. The number of individual generated and materialized works is limited to one hundred per series.
TEAM
The collaboration of an artist and a philosopher brings together the inner necessity of creative practice and the precision of philosophical reflection—two essential conditions for a sound generative project. The authors sign works shaped by a clear creative methodology and a process in which every step has a defined meaning.
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Srđan Šarović is an interdisciplinary artist and art theorist. His artistic practice is based on a distinctive platform that connects theoretical and philosophical reflection with artistic creation. Usually abstract and expressive, his works span numerous media and integrate unconventional technical processes.
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Una Popović is a philosopher and professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad. Her research brings together several philosophical disciplines, with a primary focus on the philosophy of art and the philosophy of language: the ontology of creating artworks and the methodological foundations of philosophical concepts.
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