Art in a digital form is not a novelty, but it’s only in the past decade that it started generating significant attention. Digital art encompasses every artwork created with the use of digital technology. Because of this, and the recent surge in the popularity of digitally produced art, there’s an extensively wide array of mediums that fall into the digital art category, like 3D printed sculptures, animation, illustrations, etc.
Beginnings of Digital Art
Computer and digital art gained recognition during the 1950s as artists that pioneered the field started creating oscilloscope art. An oscilloscope was a device used by scientists to display and investigate the waveform of electric signals.
Artists of the time embraced the instrument and started experimenting with various waveforms in the creation of their artwork. After this, the electronics giant Sony devised and released the first model of a portable video camera, which later became a hit with aspiring artists.
One of the first among them was Nam June Paik, a Korean-American artist who has since been credited as the founder of video art. After Paik, many artists started using a video camera for their art. And slowly, but surely, the new medium started claiming its place as an autonomous art form in its own right.
Rapid Expansion
Since then, artists have discovered and utilized many other mediums and techniques in the creation of their artworks. Moreover, numerous technological advancements in the past decade have been particularly stimulating for the expansion of the field of digital art. Various inventions, such as tablets, 3D printers, and touch screens, have made digital sculpting, painting, and illustration widespread and accessible.
This extensive popularity of digital art comes as no surprise, primarily because of its practicality, as artists can make digital artworks and large-scale projects on their computers. However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows in the world of digital art.
Criticism and the Future of Digital Art
Many critics and curators refused to acknowledge the artistry of those who create works of art using digital tools, deeming it inauthentic. What is more, some expressed their disapproval toward digital art by diminishing the role of the artist and asserting that the technology does all the work.
However, the situation today is worlds apart from this, as illustrations and portraits created digitally grace the walls of museums around the world. Digital tools have also revolutionized and transformed the artistry of animated films and cinematography in general. And of course, many branches of design, such as fashion, interior, and graphic design, would be unimaginable without the tools and media that digital art offers.
It’s safe to say that the popularity of digital art will not decrease any time soon. And one of the chief reasons is the fact that its development moves in parallel with the development of the technology, which has been on a relatively steady rise over the past few decades. Therefore, it will be interesting to see what digital art has in store for us in the future.
[1] “The Rise of Digital Art.” The Broadcaster [Online] Available at: https://hhsbroadcaster.com/4399/ane/the-rise-of-digital-art/ [Accessed on: 1 May 2020]