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Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process. Since the 1970s, various names have been used to describe the process including computer art and multimedia art, and digital art is itself placed under the larger umbrella term new media art.
The
impact of digital technology has transformed traditional activities such as
painting, drawing and sculpture, while new forms, such as net art, digital
installation art, and virtual reality, have become recognized artistic practices.[3]
More generally the term digital artist is used to describe an artist who makes
use of digital technologies in the production of art. In an expanded sense,
"digital art" is a term applied to contemporary art that uses the
methods of mass production or digital media.
Digital production techniques in visual mediaThe techniques of digital
art are used extensively by the mainstream media in advertisements, and by
film-makers to produce special effects. Desktop publishing has had a huge
impact on the publishing world, although that is more related to graphic
design.
It is possible that general acceptance of the value of digital art will progress
in much the same way as the increased acceptance of electronically produced
music over the last three decades.
Digital art can be purely computer-generated (such as fractals and algorithmic art) or taken from other sources, such as a scanned photograph or an image drawn using vector graphics software using a mouse or graphics tablet.[6] Though technically the term may be applied to art done using other media or processes and merely scanned in, it is usually reserved for art that has been non-trivially modified by a computing process (such as a computer program, microcontroller or any electronic system capable of interpreting an input to create an output); digitized text data and raw audio and video recordings are not usually considered digital art in themselves, but can be part of the larger project of computer art and information art.[7] Artworks are considered digital painting when created in similar fashion to non-digital paintings but using software on a computer platform and digitally outputting the resulting image as painted on canvas.
Andy Warhol created digital art with the help of Amiga, Inc. in July 1985 when he publicly introduced at Lincoln Center Amiga paint software.[9][10]
Digital photography and image processingDigital photography and digital printing is now an acceptable medium of creation and presentation by major museums and galleries. But the work of artists who produce digital paintings and digital printmakers is beginning to find acceptance, as the output capabilities advance and quality increases. Internationally, many museums are now beginning to collect digital art such as the San Jose Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum print department also has a reasonable but small collection of digital art. One reason why the established art community finds it difficult to accept digital art is the erroneous perception of digital prints being endlessly reproducible. Many artists though are erasing the relevant image file after the first print, thus making it a unique artwork.
The availability and popularity of photograph manipulation software has spawned a vast and creative library of highly modified images, many bearing little or no hint of the original image. Using electronic versions of brushes, filters and enlargers, these "neographers" produce images unattainable through conventional photographic tools. In addition, digital artists may manipulate scanned drawings, paintings, collages or lithographs, as well as using any of the above-mentioned techniques in combination. Artists also use many other sources of electronic information and programs to create their work.
Computer-generated visual mediaSee also: Computer art
There are two main paradigms in computer generated imagery.[citation needed]
The simplest is 2D computer graphics which reflect how you might draw using
a pencil and a piece of paper. In this case, however, the image is on the
computer screen and the instrument you draw with might be a tablet stylus
or a mouse. What is generated on your screen might appear to be drawn with
a pencil, pen or paintbrush. The second kind is 3D computer graphics, where
the screen becomes a window into a virtual environment, where you arrange
objects to be "photographed" by the computer. Typically a 2D computer
graphics use raster graphics as their primary means of source data representations,
whereas 3D computer graphics use vector graphics in the creation of immersive
virtual reality installations. A possible third paradigm is to generate art
in 2D or 3D entirely through the execution of algorithms coded into computer
programs and could be considered the native art form of the computer. That
is, it cannot be produced without the computer. Fractal art, Datamoshing,
algorithmic art and Dynamic Painting are examples.
Computer generated 3D still imageryMain article: 3D graphics
3D graphics are created via the process of designing complex imagery from
geometric shapes, polygons or NURBS curves[12] to create three-dimensional
shapes, objects and scenes for use in various media such as film, television,
print, rapid prototyping and the special visual effects. There are many software
programs for doing this. The technology can enable collaboration, lending
itself to sharing and augmenting by a creative effort similar to the open
source movement, and the creative commons in which users can collaborate in
a project to create unique pieces of art.
Computer generated animated imageryMain article: Computer-generated imagery
See also: Computer animation
Computer-generated animations are animations created with a computer, from
digital models created by the artist[not specific enough to verify]. The term
is usually applied to works created entirely with a computer. Movies make
heavy use of computer-generated graphics; they are called computer-generated
imagery (CGI) in the film industry. In the 1990s, and early 2000s CGI advanced
enough so that for the first time it was possible to create realistic 3D computer
animation, although films had been using extensive computer images since the
mid-70s. A number of modern films have been noted for their heavy use of photo
realistic CGI.
Digital installation artSee also: interactive art
Digital installation art constitutes a broad field of activity and incorporates
many forms. Some resemble video installations, particularly large scale works
involving projections and live video capture. By using projection techniques
that enhance an audiences impression of sensory envelopment, many digital
installations attempt to create immersive environments. Others go even further
and attempt to facilitate a complete immersion in virtual realms. This type
of installation is generally site specific, scalable, and without fixed dimensionality,
meaning it can be reconfigured to accommodate different presentation spaces.
Noah Wardrip-Fruin's interactive new media art piece entitled "Screen is an example of digital installation art. To view and interact with the piece, a user first enters a room, called the "Cave," which is a virtual reality display area with four walls surrounding the participant. White memory texts appear on the background of black walls. Through bodily interaction, such as using one's hand, a user can move and bounce the text around the walls. The words can be made into sentences and eventually begin to "peel" off and move more rapidly around the user, creating a heightening sense of misplacement.
"In
addition to creating a new form of bodily interaction with text through its
play, Screen moves the player through three reading experiences — beginning
with the familiar, stable, page-like text on the walls, followed by the word-by-word
reading of peeling and hitting (where attention is focused), and with more
peripheral awareness of the arrangements of flocking words and the new (often
neologistic) text being assembled on the walls. Screen was first shown in
2003 as part of the Boston Cyberarts Festival (in the Cave at Brown University)
and documentation of it has since been featured at The Iowa Review Web, presented
at SIGGRAPH 2003, included in Alt+Ctrl: a festival of independent and alternative
games, published in the DVD magazines Aspect and Chaise, as well as in readings
in the Hammer Museum's HyperText series, at ACM Hypertext 2004, and in other
venues."
Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_art