What does it do?
It produces a set of images that look a lot like the paintings of the artist Piet Mondriaan. By way of selection and genetic operators this set can be manipulated by you. You can try to find images that you think look even more like Mondriaan art, or search for images you find attractive.

What is it good for?
Nothing. It is just for fun. But it shows a nice way of how diverse the field of evolutionary computation is.

How do I install it?
This program is only tested on a Linux platform, to install it you need a recent C++ compiler (Egcs 1.0.3) and Gtk (version 1.0.4). Just download, unpack and run make. Now cross your fingers.

How does it work?
The images are all built using some structure and drawing procedure, both hidden from the user. Just like reproduction in nature, these structures are involved in crossover and mutation. By crossing two images from the current set of images we get two new images. These are first mutated randomly before the new set is put on the screen. You play one part of the role of nature: selection. By giving images you think are more Mondriaan like or more attractive higher grades you determine which images have more chance of breeding offspring. This process converges to a set of images that are more or less what you want them to look like.

Is it similar to other generators?
No, it is not. Most of these generators use some heuristic rules that lead to an image that looks a lot like a Mondriaan. The difference here is that a set of images is evolving, meanwhile giving you an opportunity to guide the search to a set of images you like.

Who's idea is this?
The main idea for this program was born during a discussion with Guzti Eiben, Jano van Hemert, and Maarten Lamers. Some of the implementation details in this program are taken from The Virtual Mondriaan build by Jules Vleugels.