Digital art is the production of art using a computer and often other new technological devices. The invention of the computer has altered our lives dramatically, making difficult tasks into simply daily activities. The computer has also altered the production of art in a very similar way. Through the use of computers, digital cameras, graphic tablets and computer software, digital art can be produced quickly and often with ease resulting in an art form that allows both professionals and amateurs to create artworks. But can this really be defined as art?
The definition of art has long been debated. Generally the idea of something that invokes emotion or aesthetic appeal can be defined as art. Many people argue that if something is created by an artist it is art, but then we must ask what defines an artist? The art world's constraints and ideals have long been challenged and questioned by artists, artists aim to shock their audiences and re-define art. With the invention of the camera came the debate of digital art Vs art. Today we are still faced with this question, as more and more artists are turning to digital media to create and alter artworks, this may just be the newest shift in what can be defined as art.
The invention of the camera saw a shift away from realist quality paintings and into surreal and abstract styles. Realist painters no longer had a need to create real to life portrait style paintings as people began to use cameras to document historical figures. Photography could quickly capture an image with a real to life quality that no painter could compare too, thus realism was quickly overtaken by photography. This was when the debate against digital art first emerged. Painters were being replaced by photographers who called themselves artists. The art world was shifting and the definition of art was beginning to be questioned as these new artists challenged the constraints and ideals previously known to the world.
By the 19th-20th century the camera was an easily attainable item and photographs of fairly good quality were being produced by almost everybody. Although the camera was thought to have destroyed Realism, it was at this stage that people again started to appreciate the realist style. Now that everybody could produce a photograph, people again began to appreciate the skill and hard work of an artist able to recreate the real world with a paintbrush.
So the invention of the camera was a challenge to the artists of the 18th century. However as photography became an everyday occurrence, audiences began to see the difference between everyday photography and a real artist quality photo. Just as people accepted this shift in the art world, digital art will merge into society and become a recognised art form. "I seem to remember a lot of fuss being made about Andy Warhol's work in the 60's being prints and not paintings. Who cares ? As long as it's an interesting work of art." 1
Computers are designed to make our life easier, while they have definitely made art quick and easy to produce. Can we compare quick and often easy digital art to hours spent on an oil painting? Many people argue that digital art is no different to classical art, in that it can be done quickly and easily but not well. If someone wants to create a picture with digital media, it is designed so amateurs can do so with moderate ease. However just as in painting and sculpture if something is produced quickly it is noticeable. Many people argue that the use of a computer in the production of art is just the same as the use of a paintbrush. It is a tool and can be used to produce good or bad art. Just as each artist is individual so is each medium, they all have their own strengths and limitations and can be done well or done badly. Digital art is as much of an art form as painting, a good digital artist spends hours adjusting and readjusting to produce quality art. We cannot compare digital art with an oil painting just as we cannot compare two different styles of painting. They are different and different skills are needed for each, we should embrace the modernity of the art form. 'I regard what I do as 'art', and don't draw a distinction between photography and painting.' 2
If digital art is just the use of a different medium to create art, then one will focus purely on the concept of the created work. Digital art is often less labour intensive thus allowing more time for the creative art making process. If one is less concerned with how to create something, often the concept behind the art will flourish and complement the finished product to a better extent. "This marvellous technology must change the way we think about painting. So much more becomes possible in the control of colour, in the manipulation of forms, the incorporation of photos, and so on….. Unlike its physical counterpart the digital image can be corrected, duplicated, stored, remastered in a different colour scheme, at a different scale, blended in with a photograph.” 3
Artists continually challenge the ideals and constraints of the art world thus the definition of art is continually changing. The debate about the definition of art is ongoing, it started with the invention of the camera and will continue to grow and change direction with the invention of new technologies. Technology is designed to make our lives easier and will ultimately change the way we live, not only will it influence our lives but also our lifestyles. Digital art is just the modern worlds newest alteration to what we know as art. It is impossible to compare new art with classical art, it differs too much, but we as a society need to embrace technology and its differences.
References
Gerard Hemsworth, http://www.worldprintmakers.com/english/mamata2.htm
Stephen Shore, http://www.worldprintmakers.com/english/mamata2.htm
James Faure-Walker 'Painting and the Digital Adventure' http://www.worldprintmakers.com/english/mamata2.htm
Bibliography
Koya Abe - Digital Art: Chapter One - www.koyaaabe.com 21.10.09
Rhizome | The Originality Engine http://www.rhizome.org/object.php?o=33141&m=1038699 21.10.09
Is digital art real art ? -http://www.3datadesign.com/gallery/eng/isdigitalartreal1.php 21.10.09
"Modern vs Classical and beyond" by Samuel Durkin [1360453-1] – RedBubble
http://www.redbubble.com/people/samdurkin/writing/1360453-modern-vs-classical-and-beyond 22.10.09
The Impact of Giclée- http://www.worldprintmakers.com/english/mamata2.htm 22.10.09
New media art education and its discontents, Trebor Scholz, Art Journal 64.1 Spring 2005, p95, accessed 22.10.09
Melissa Brandt the silent addiction:an exhibition of digital art, Liz Frank, Sister Namibia 21.1 April 2009, p18, Accessed 22.10.09
http://chrystalsminipigs.com/Photo-Album.php?pageType=image&currDir=.&image=I_can_just_reach.jpg&startFrom=0
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