One Wolf, Nine Lives: A Journey Through Art Movements with AI
Using AI to Reimagine Art History with a Single Prompt
Great artists and illustrators have always sought fresh ways to visualize the world. Today, generative AI tools like Midjourney allow you to reimagine any subject across multiple artistic movements—instantly.
🐺 “A Wolf”
To demonstrate, I've chosen a wolf (powerful, expressive, and symbolically rich) as a consistent subject. Below, you'll see this same wolf vividly transformed into 8 classic art styles.
Each image includes the exact prompt used, letting you replicate or modify these results yourself, exploring infinite variations effortlessly.
🛠️ [A Quick Note on the Prompts]
When you look at each detailed prompt, don't worry if some of the tech-sounding terms (like “UHD”, “8K”, “HDR”, or codes like --seed 7716369517) seem confusing at first glance. These are just technical parameters to fine-tune the visuals.
You don't need to fully grasp all the technical jargon right now. At the end of this post, you'll find a clear and simple mini-guide ("Tech Reminders") explaining these terms. Additionally, my other articles dive deeper into these details, so explore those whenever you're ready.
For now, simply focus on how just one single word (the artistic style) dramatically reshapes the visuals.
Let the tour begin!
This is “Realism”, our base image that we’ll use just as something to compare the others with. I have chosen 49189814 as the SREF, and included the same unique seed number in each prompt.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Realism, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Art Nouveau.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Art Nouveau, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Post Impressionism.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Post-Impressionism, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Cubism.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Cubism, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Minimalism.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Minimalism, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Baroque.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Baroque, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Folk Art.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Folk Art, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Art Deco.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Art Deco, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
This is Romanticism.
✍️ prompt: “A wolf, in the style of Romanticism, UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --seed 7716369517 --quality 2 --raw --sref 49189814 --sv 4 --sw 45 --stylize 110”
🎨 Your Task: Unleash Your Own AI Wolf Pack! 🐺
Feeling inspired?
Now it's your turn to jump into the creative driver's seat!
The beauty of this approach is its simplicity. You can take the exact prompt structure we used and substitute your favorite art style keyword—or even any descriptive word whatsoever where the art style was—and you'll get a unique, amazing wolf (or any subject you choose!) each time.
Ready to try it in Midjourney right now?
Copy this exact prompt below into Midjourney:
A wolf, in the style of [YOUR STYLE WORD HERE], UHD image, 8K, HDR --ar 4:3 --raw --sref
49189814 --sv --sw 45 --stylize 110
Replace [YOUR STYLE WORD HERE] with any art movement from our list, or try words like:
"bioluminescent"
"celestialpunk"
"crystalized"
"nebula-infused"
"origami"
Dive in, experiment freely, and see what incredible wolf variations you can conjure. This is where the real fun begins – blending systematic prompting with your own artistic flair!
Tech Reminders
Many of these elements have been covered in more detail in previous Lab Notes (like my Midjourney Formula post and deep dives into SREFs and substyles ). The main thing is to see how the artistic choice directs the AI.
UHD Image = enhances clarity and natural realism (“ultra high definition”)
8K = Maxed-out sharpness and color pop (highest resolution on UHD-TVs)
HDR = enhances tonal range (“high dynamic range”)
Midjourney Parameters:
ar = aspect ratio
seed = unique image ID starting number
quality 2 = high quality
raw = lowers default aesthetic
SREF = style reference number
sv = style version
stylize 100 = normal value of default aesthetic
Instant access. No commitment. Cancel anytime.