User:Eagle1020/sandbox

What comes to mind when we hear the words “Computer Art”? Certainly not a Renaissance painter with a blank canvas in front of them. Perhaps an artist in front of a computer screen, who is developing algorithms that generate experimental art? Or perhaps even an Artificial Intelligence (AI) robot that creates paintings that are just as good as the ones in the National Gallery? All of the above are examples of Computer Art in the modern world. Art and Computer Science as disciplines use contrastingly different methodological approaches to arrive at knowledge. In recent years, however, a unique overlap between the two has led to the formation of a sub-discipline -- Computer Art -- an increasingly popular Bachelor program in universities across the world.

Computer Art could be viewed as a branch of both Art and Computer Science. As a branch of Art, the sub-discipline explores the development of new Art forms through the use of technology. In the context of Computer Science, it focuses on the development of technology (for example, algorithms) to create Art. An increasing number of artists nowadays learn to code in order to develop algorithms for aesthetic purposes. To go even further, AI advancements have allowed for the production of AI-generated paintings which are accessible to be viewed online and even purchased. Every day, the intersection between Art and Computer Science grows and History is made.

The exact point in time when Computer Arts first emerged as a sub-discipline is an academic debate. However, a possible answer would be the founding of the non-governmental organization “Experiments in Art and Technology” (E.A.T.) in 1966 by the electrical engineers Billy Klüver and Fred Waldhauer and the artists Robert Rauschenberg and Robert Whitman. E.A.T. sought to forge collaboration between engineers and artists through industrial projects. The organization quickly gained popularity and a few years after its establishment, it had over 4,000 participants: artists, engineers, programmers, researchers, and scientists, whose collaborative efforts led to the development of new Computer Art forms, such as video and digital image. A disclaimer should be made that earlier examples of the presence of technology in Art exist but they do not point to the history of the sub-discipline and its methodologies, which is why they are not mentioned.

Nowadays, we consider digital image and video (and the technology involved in producing those) as an integral part of Art, however, 60 years ago, they were a revolutionary concept. Coding, as a means of creating Art, is also being normalized. Today, we tremble with excitement (and fear) at the thought of AI using complex algorithms to produce Art by itself. In 60 years, however, we may see AI as an inseparable part of Art.