Art & Tech Series 5: Who Art Thou?
The Prince William Art Society (PWAS) Artistry Spin Blog will explore the use of technology and its impact on the world of art. There are so many tools and resources that can benefit the artists to not only create artwork, but to inspire them, to share their work with the world and to potentially sell their artwork. We'll review and offer suggestions on some of the top trending tech on the web, popular for artists, and those wanting to find out more about art, and perhaps, YOUR art.
Art Today Goes Way Beyond the Canvas
Or perhaps the subtitle should say CAN go beyond the canvas. The choice is the artist's as to which technology available on any given day is of interest to them and what they want to be creative with.
Galleries, curators, and art show spaces today make decisions on what they want to include in their displays and what they will or will not include as art changes over time and the mediums used. Many calls for art do not include digital art, or AI created artworks. Therein lies the controversy some may say.
A side note in that respect is that ANY art space HAS the ultimate right to include what they want in their call for art, no matter how you understand or sit on the idea. You don't agree with their decision? Move on to the next art call.
Artists have ever more avenues to create art, show, and share art. The world can be your canvas, not just in a small gallery in a small town somewhere.
Who art thou leads us to have a look at some of the terminology, the acronyms, and sometimes controversial technologies available for artists - of which a lot of it has been around a lot longer than you might think.
360° Video
This is surround video. Seeing is believing...
You may have seen this type of video before and it is very cool. Be there without getting out the passport.
AI - Artificial Intelligence
AI is such an odd name for this HUGE topic - isn't it saying 'fake smarts'? Artificial Intelligence is the use of a machine (a computer, smartphone, software programs) to perform tasks, decisions, problem solving, and potentially choices, that would pre-AI, be performed by human intelligence. It mimics human brain function.
And the perhaps scary thought that some AI can learn and adapt to supposedly improve over time by identifying patterns used to make predictions for future choices is built into some of the technologies to make them 'smarter'.
Beyond the Machine: Why Human-Made Art Matters More in the Age of AI
An interesting note is the thought of labeling your 'nonmachine, nondigital' art as 'human-made'.
AI Visual Art
Paintings, drawings, sculpture, photography, printmaking, ceramics (the visual arts) that are created (generated or enhanced) by using artificial intelligence programs.
Algorithmic Art (Algorithm Art)
Visual art for which the design was generated by an algorithm often with very intricate patterns, that probably could not be sketched by hand.
AR - Augmented Reality
Overlays digital information (computer-generated sounds, images, or other sensory stimulation) onto the real world of the user's reality.
Datamoshing
The intentional technique of distorting a digital video file compression info to create glitchy effects.
Digital Art
Digital Art is art created with computer, computer software and other technologies. This simple description doesn't really describe this form of art as well as it should.
What is digital art, then? by Pau Waelder
This is the UK version of Adobe, but this article was interesting. What is digital art? It describes digital art as "being real art, its just a different way of working"
Also see:
- Digital 2D Animation
- Digital 3D Sculpting
- Digital 3D Modeling
- Digital 3D Animation
- Digital Art Installation
Digital Collage
A digital graphic art that is like an onion and all those layers. Layers of images, concepts, and textures stacked on top of each other combined in order to compose an entirely new composition.
Dynamic Painting
A digital art technology that adds the perception of movement interactivity and participation.
Email Art
Artwork created for email. Animations, screensavers, computer graphics, digital scans of artwork.
Fractal Art
"Fractal Art is a form of algorithmic art created by calculating fractal objects and representing the calculation results as still digital images, animations, and media." - Wikipedia
Generative Art
"Generative art is post-conceptual art that has been created (in whole or in part) with the use of an autonomous system. An autonomous system in this context is generally one that is non-human and can independently determine features of an artwork that would otherwise require decisions made directly by the artist. In some cases the human creator may claim that the generative system represents their own artistic idea, and in others that the system takes on the role of the creator." - Wikipedia
Internet Art (Net Art, Web Art)
This type of new media art that usually offers some manner of interactive or some sort of participation.
Mixed Reality Art (MR, XR)
A bridge between virtual reality and augmented reality creating interactive and immersive experiences in art, in galleries and art spaces.
See more on this link Real Example and Use Cases of Mixed Reality in Art.
NFT - Non-Fungible Tokens
Non-Fungible Token - For the definition of this one I HAD to go to AI:
"An NFT, or Non-Fungible Token, is essentially a digital certificate of ownership recorded on a secure digital ledger called a blockchain. Think of it like a unique digital signature that proves you own a specific digital or physical item, such as artwork, music, videos, collectibles, or even virtual real estate.
Non-fungible means each NFT is one-of-a-kind and cannot be exchanged for another identical item because each has distinct properties and can have a different value. In contrast, fungible items, like a dollar bill or a cryptocurrency coin, are interchangeable because they hold the same value.
Digital art: NFTs can represent ownership of unique digital artworks, images, and videos, including famous examples like CryptoPunks and Bored Ape Yacht Club."
When you spend ANY time on social media, you will be approached by someone wanting to purchase your art as a NFT. Also noted in the AI explanation of NFT that it says that there is a LOT of ongoing fraud and scams as it is an emerging technology, and note the value fluctuates considerably.
I've steered clear of any of these requests but I'd love to hear if anyone has had any experience with NFTs.
Photomanipulation (Photo Painting)
The human imagination is a wonderful, beautiful, and crazy thing at times. We've all seen photographs of things that at first glance appear to be one thing, but then with some additional manipulation by the artist, the photo goes somewhere else entirely.
This form of digital art is a combination of various digital images and/or photographs altering the outcome into a new artwork. Adjustments can be color alterations, cropping, adding and removing objects, and the applications of textures or other effects to get the desired outcome.
See Image Manipulation: The What, How, and Why by Tazim UI Mulk - May 10, 2023 (has some cool examples!)
Pixel Art
A pixel is an element of a picture and is the smallest single point (a dot) on a grid that represents not only a specific color, but a brightness value within that image as seen on our smartphones and computer screens.
Pixel Art is a from of digital art that manipulates the images and its dots at the pixel level.
QR Codes
Our art group PWAS has used several different QR Codes in the last few years. We've used them to lead the viewer to more information about our nonprofit art group - to our website, to our art store for some art shows, and to our membership page, and donation pages. The link in the QR code has been used to show you a menu too.
QR Codes are a type of 2-D matrix barcode that the viewer scans with their smartphone camera, which brings up the appropriate link to the page destination.
QR Codes: Your Art Collection's New Best Friend (from ArtworkArchive.com)
QR Code Art (QR Code-Integrated Art)
When PWAS was at a gallery in our past, we had several artists that used QR Code Art. On a label or signage there is a QR code printed. The viewer can scan the code with their phones while in the gallery and access information about the artwork. This may include artist info, the price, more of the artist's work, or a VR experience. And the VR experience was very impressive movement on the artwork.
Read more How Artists Can Use QR Codes
QR codes have even made their way into becoming the art and being embedded on the art.
Social Media Platform Technologies
Artists can use selected social media platforms to present their artwork, to engage with their followers, and to build their community of art fans.
Choose the platform(s) that work for you, like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, TikToc, DevianArt, Behance, LinkedIn, Twitch, Dribble, The Dots, Tumblr, Dayflash, Discord.
Choose the places where your potential fans (art collectors, friends, family) can be found and learn about the tools and resources the platform offers to best present your artwork.
When people Like and Share, engage with them and thank them.
Your community of art fans that you build will be curious when you taunt them with upcoming new art, tell them about upcoming shows and events, and more.
Find and pick the platform(s) that work for you - just be consistent, be real, be intentional, just BE there. Sure, experiment and try them out for awhile to find what works for you, but understand that it all takes time.
Vector Art
A type of digital art that is created by using shapes, lines, points, and curves based on mathematical formulas / equations that are scalable without blurring or losing quality. Commonly used to create logos, illustrations and icons.
VFX - Visual Effects
Let's go again to the AI definition:
"VFX, or visual effects, is the process of creating and manipulating imagery that cannot be achieved through traditional on-set filming. It involves using computer-generated imagery (CGI), live-action footage, and other techniques to enhance or create scenes that would be impossible or impractical to film in reality."
VR - Virtual Reality
A completely simulated environment, computer-generated, a 3-D world, usually seen in virtual tourism, gaming, and training simulations.
There are certainly other technologies out there and I am sure more is in development even as you read this.
Technical Art Fundamental Foundations
When it comes to the visual arts in any form, style or into the future, the basic technical foundations will always be there and must be learned because they construct the beauty, the balance, and truth of the arts.
Perspective, Form, Composition, Value and Lighting, Anatomy - any of the technology or medium we use, these are the fundamentals
Many artists are still questioning....I wanted to type the "rights" and "wrongs" of computer-generated art, as in, "Is it real art?" But we know that honestly, there isn't really any right or wrong precisely in art. There are better techniques to create a thing, draw, or paint it, and have it last over time - and the so called "rules" are often broken to great effect. The experimentation of any of these technologies will be ongoing, refined, and change, perhaps for the better - Much like good quality paints and varnishes have evolved over the years.
I came across this article called "When Machines Change Art" which starts off with, "At a few times in history, new technologies came along that changed the way we make art. Machines, chemicals, and/or algorithms replaced some of the steps that artists did, changing how we made art—and, sometimes, radically transforming what we thought think art is." by Aaron Hertzmann
Who knows where the future of art will go. Many calls for art (art calls) may limit the art submitted and be restrictive to digital art and other forms of computer-generated artworks. They are sticking to the more traditional forms of art made via a canvas, a board surface, or paper with colors applied in various media like oil, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, etc.
People sit on both sides of the argument. I've seen absolutely outstanding digital art and if you've seen PWAS Member, Tom Payne's artwork, I consider him as a very successful digital artists in our group. Do a search on Tom Payne in this blog and you'll probably come across some of his work.
Where are you standing when it comes to Technology and Art?
For Further Reading
27 Rewarding Types of Digital Art Creation to Explore by Travis Vermilye June 2024
Author: Donna Liguria is the Blogmaster for the PWAS Artistry Spin Blog and Donna's Cave Paintings Blog, and an artist member of the Prince William Art Society (PWAS) in Woodbridge, Virginia. And she takes on the PWAS social media duties as well (help me!) Donna specializes in acrylic painting of landscapes, seascapes, historic locations, animals and many subjects. Visit her Website at DonnaLiguriaArt.com and her Donna's Esty site to shop her art.
Local Art: The Prince William Art Society is a 50+-year-old non-profit art group in PWC for the appreciation of fine art throughout the county and Northern Virginia. Visit us at any of our local art shows or join us for our monthly meetings - held on the 4th Monday of the month at the Tall Oaks Community Center at 12298 Cotton Mill Dr, Woodbridge, VA at 7:30pm (typically, but check the website in case of any changes).
Want to join PWAS? Go to https://www.princewilliamartsociety.com/membership
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