Pixel art is about meaningful pixel placement and color choice. Pixels placed indiscriminately through tools like gradients or software automation remove meaning from pixel
Placement, and colors produced from these effects bloat palettes and reduce cohesion of the piece.
You can have a 1 billion pixel canvas, but if you hand pick each color purposefully and place each pixel with intent, it is pixel art. Smaller resolutions are a byproduct of this process, not the goal.
This all being said, art is art and genre CAN be subjective, you will see some gradients pop up in pieces and people will adamantly claim it's pixel art. Despite being in conflict with my definition. It's not something to get our panties in a twist over at the end of the day.
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Placement, and colors produced from these effects bloat palettes and reduce cohesion of the piece.