Age of Digital Art Blog
This movement is considered Post-Modern. The Age of Digital Art occurred between 1950 and 1970, but in a way has continued since. The works in this exhibit focus on three artists with similar styles. It seems best to introduce them through the exhibit The Medium is the Medium which aired in 1969 on public television. To see some of the works, I will include the time stamp under the title. Each work in this exhibit was foundational to the digital art we see and recognize now.
Each of these arts is expected to be viewed, this artwork can be accessed quickly and enjoyed in the medium that it was intentionally created. Rather than identifying whether I would purchase this piece, I will comment on whether I enjoyed the piece or not.
Hello by Allan Kaprow 1969
This work begins with an introduction at 8:27 and ends at 13:10. The tones are monochromatic and at the end of the piece have color which may be a glitch or intentional. There are multiple subjects, but a few men are consistent. Each subject seems to say "Hello, I see you" or variations of such in different frames. The artist uses multiple televisions and occasionally a "Hello" stamp appears. A pattern of frames repeats, but with small changes. Kaprow's focus was based on the connection through an electronic format. I enjoyed this piece because the work was interactional and intentional.
Warm Ups by Allan Kaprow 1975
A majority of Kaprow's video work's are difficult to obtain. The last video via the link shows a short snippet of the peice. It portrays two subjects repeating a phrase. There is an peice of ice between thier forheads as they repeat "Are you warm yet?" in various frames. This is similar to his work titled Hello. Kaprow is known for his multiple "happenings" where he uses participants in his art, and this work seems to be another one of those works but shown in video medium instead. I found this snippet to be intriging and would love to see the full peice. This work was created much later, but has many of the similar elements that Hello has, such as repitition and a focus on human connection through digital format.
https://vimeo.com/56480534?embedded=true&source=vimeo_logo&owner=3948514
Pixillation by Lillian Schwartz 1970
This work was one of the first created by Schwartz through coding. The medium is the computer, but since it was all coded in black and white the colors are added through ink. With the cooperation of Bell Laboratories, she was able to create various works which were filmed to be viewed today. This was foundational to digital animation and other digital arts. The colors are bright and every frame seemed abstract. The textures seem like ink blobs or more defined shapes and lines. It seemed overwhelming, but the intention seemed to showcase the ability of coding.
Head by Lillian Schwartz 1969
This work was originally sketched by hand on a graph paper and then recreated via coding. The process is seen in the final work. The colors are bright and contrastful. The shading is created by various symbols, each intentional in the work. This was foundational to digital graphics. The only subject in the work, one who was recreated a few times, seems tired possibly from his rigid eyes and eyebags. I found this work interesting, but would prefer it in a museum rather than in my home.
I love the pieces you chose for your blog post this week. A first, watching "Hello" seemed very chaotic and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue watching, but it was very interesting to see the very beginnings of live video communications!
ReplyDeleteElectronic Opera No.1 was captivating. Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp, or "moonlight" is an all-time favorite of mine, though I have never seen it mixed into a trance-like video such as this. It reminds me of something you'd see in a sci-fi film about a brainwashing video, so I have a hard time seeing the intentions of the artist as well.