How do you think your example would compare against a simple lowpass + downsampling?

I think for most complicated pixel art, "reimagining" the image is necessary to keep it visually appealing and discernible at low-res, like in the examples here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel_art

Thanks for your comment and the great question.

Lowpass filtering with downsampling is definitely a more efficient way to simplify images compared to my approach. This project is an experimental demo of a genetic algorithm evolving random pixel patterns to approximate a target image.

I agree that true pixel art often requires artistic "reimagining" to stay visually appealing. Thanks for your feedback!