"Digital Art" by Helen Webb

“Digital Art"

By Helen Webb

CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE

Aims

Methodology

Introduction

Findings

Main body

Results of investigation

Summary and conclusion

Bibliography

*Appendix

(For references to Appendices

please see *)

Aims

Through a variety of sources, this report is intended to provide a bite sized view of the effects of digital technology on the world of the visual artist.

Methodology

Primary research in the form of a questionnaire for practising artists, and fellow art students, articles, books, websites on the digitization of visual art containing secondary and primary sources.

Introduction

Digital technology touches many of our lives. The arena of visual arts is examined here. The report looks at how artists interact with digital technology and how it affects their work. The field of digital art is explored, including some history and development. Some of the most popular digital art apps and platforms are noted, also the attitudes and comments of practising artists and art students towards working with online facilities, applications and computers. Conclusions are drawn about the uses and value of digital technology in the field of visual art.

Findings

Intro

Digital art is affecting individuals in many ways throughout the art world. Artists make use of digital storage space, marketplaces, applications and social media for creating and showcasing art on devices, *1.1. *1. The Internet is used for study purposes, inspiration, stock photos and videos, and word processing is used for creating art, *1.1. Two articles where digital art is critised are cited 1. 2. A look at the history of digital art shows how it has developed into what it is today.

Sustainability

There are arguments for and against the digital storage of art, photographs. For example, a newly recognised priority at Kinsale Campus to save energy by reducing use of online storage space, *1. On the other hand, there is a growing need to use reusable materials from sustainable sources. Paper for example can sometimes be replaced by a tablet screen with a paper textured screen cover, as with the I Pad, Apple tablet, *1.

Uses and functions

Jason Naylor is a digital artist (website: jasonnaylorcreative.com)

(see images via instagram.com/jasonnaylor/)

who uses bright colours and focuses on positive messages in his art

Naylor works digitally and traditionally. He uses typography creatively as the focus of his art.

He credits digital technology the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil (In an Instagram post) as being helpful to him in his work, 3.

Aiste Stancikaite

(see images via stancikaite.com)

Aiste Stancikaite uses software such as Photoshop to create animations from her artwork. (website: http: www.stancikaite.com). She also enhances her still images digitally, 3.

Letting an application do the boring repetitive work is a plus for artists, for example in the creation of a repeated pattern, instant backgrounds, cut and paste and editing, *1. Artists tend to enjoy using applications like Coral and Adobe Photoshop because so much time can be saved in setting up and positioning items on the screen rather than doing these jobs by hand, *1.

Demand for digital art, and digital tools, has been expanding; for example, the growth of NFDA s (non fungable digital assets), 5. - a digitally stored or digitally created piece of art or music, which is attached to a block chain, and thereby becomes a kind of currency with a random value that either increases, or decreases. In effect the individual piece of art fulfils the function of a form of digital currency, finding its own value.

There are moral and aesthetic arguments against digitisation and the way artists use it, and audiences view it. Giuseppe Torre’s (head of digital studies at Limerick University at the time) paper on Cory Arcangel’s supposed hack of the Super Mario Console (2002), 2. Torre criticized Arcangel’s questioning; Using digital technology, how far away can a piece of art get from the original, before it becomes an original in itself? In his piece, Arcangel included documentation recording his removal of all the media from the game except the clouds. The piece showed only the clouds from the game. Patrick Le Mieux’s later work, 2. According to Torre, Le Mieux exposed Arcangel’s attempt to fool his audiences with supposed fake documentation. Le Mieux didn’t remove other media, he simply reproduced the clouds himself. Also, Kenan Malik, has criticked New York’s Museum of Modern Art for auctioning 29 paintings, including Picassos and Monets to finance digital media and technology for the museum, pointing out the merits of the actual over the virtual, 2, 1.

History

The history of artists involved in digital technology and TV broadcasting, shows the development of digital art from Frederick Nake’s computer drawing in the 60’s, *2. to the use of Television, for example in1969 – “Hello” by Allan Kaprow, 4. Progressing on to internet-based pieces, such as 2006 – “Abe and Mo, The Blogs”, Marisa Olson and Abe Linkoln, 4.

Artists have already delved into many aspects of digital technology. The inspiration and revelation of both negative and positive aspects of digitalisation are continually explored.

Results of investigation

Results showed that artists and audiences find the technology of digital art to have both good and bad points. Although the digital age is not recognised as a movement, some artists, like Nam June Paik, have gained reputations through working with digital tools, 4. While others minimise their connection with the digital world, mainly through a lack of knowledge/awareness/learning or a lack of regular interaction with the technologies involved, *1. 1. Many artists are involved with digitisation in some way, for example, with storage of photographs, video, and displaying work using social media, *1. 3.4.

Many use a combination of the two, * 1. 3,4. Artists generally appreciate the convenience of being able to photograph their work and store and showcase it online, *1. 3,4. Some see the digitization of art as an opportunity to explore approaches to their work in the growing and changing field of digital art, *1. 3,4.

Summary and conclusion

In summary the findings show the growing popularity of digital tools and media alongside debate and discourse about its development. Looking at the past and observing the growth and development of digitalisation so far, it appears likely to flow forward into the future of the art world in the form of: Online viewing of artists work, online sales of both digitally produced and traditionally produced art, artists combining digital and traditional methods, artists experimenting with both worlds or sticking to one. Artists are innovators and visionaries and are forever creating, and challenging the limitations and norms of any movement, culture or civilisation. Through the digital world this exploration has only just begun.

References

1.The Gaurdian, “The web has expanded the reach of art, but nothing beats standing in front of a Picasso” - Kenan Malik, Sun 18 Sep 2022, 07.30, BST.

2.An Ethico-Phenomenology of Digital Art Practices - Giuseppe Torre, Routlidge 2021, Oxon, UK.

3.10 Digital Artists You Should Know - The Art 1of Education University

4.Digital Art Movement Overview | TheArtStory https://theartstory.org/movement/digital-art

5.https://coincentral.com/nfts-non-fungible-tokens/

Bibliography

Digital Art Movement Overview | TheArtStory https://theartstory.org/movement/digital-art

(https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/how-to-sell-art-online/)

(10 Best Websites For Selling Art Online In 2022 (merchantmaverick.com)

Sell Photos Online: 18 Websites for Selling Your Photography (2022) (shopify.com)

The Gaurdian, “The web has expanded the reach of art but nothing beats standing in front of a Picasso” - Kenan Malik, Sun 18 Sep 2022, 07.30, BST.

10 Digital Artists You Should Know - The Art 1of Education University

An Ethico-Phenomenology of Digital Art Practices - Giuseppe Torre, Routlidge 2021, Oxon.

,https://coincentral.com/nfts-non-fungible-tokens/

*Appendix

1. Artists and student’s survey questions; Artists and students were asked the following questions

Do you use digital tools in your work? If so how, and which tools?

Do you use the internet to sell or display your work? If so which sites?

How has digitisation affected your practice as an artist or as an art student?

Entitled “Hommage a Paul Klee” 13/9/65 inspired by the painting “Highroads abd Byroads (1928) Paul Klee