AI agents resolved the Navier-Stokes problem, or so we are told. More Millennium Prize problems are reportedly on the way.¹ But most people try not to engage with mathematics if they can help it.

Among those who choose to engage with the subject, there are the “house painters”. This group views mathematics as a mechanical process. The goal is to get as much of it done in as little time as possible. Speed math is a competitive sport. The first one to get to the answer wins. As long as the answer is correct, the means do not matter as long as the means are not incorrect. Correct answers and “not incorrect” processes are the goal.

And then there are the “artists”. This group views mathematics as an aesthetic process. The goal is to savor the process. The end matters, but the means are equally, if not more important. The process is what gives the spark of understanding and that spark gives the joy for this group.

House painters take pride in how much they produced. Artists take pride in what they made.

House painters produce the row house, the slum, the fancy apartment block and the suburb. Artists produce the Taj Mahal.²

House painters are many. Artists are few.

No house painter ever gets seen. Most artists never get seen.

A house painter would paint the Mona Lisa and move on to the next job. An artist would paint a wall but not keep it plain.

At the Louvre, people queue up to see the Mona Lisa. Nobody remembers the color of the walls.

AI is the world’s newest and fastest house painter wearing the garb of an artist.

The clever artist could use the new house painter’s toolbox to produce new art. But could the house painter learn to see the craft?

Does the answer matter? Everyone needs their walls painted. The new painter will be well fed. Artists, as always, suffer.