What is Media Art?
Artists throughout the ages have used the technology of their times to communicate artistically. Early artists of the Stone Age used pigments from the earth to paint scenes depicting a successful hunt upon cave walls. Much later on, Renaissance sculptors chiseled Biblical figures such as David out of quarried marble. The 15th century invention of oil paint, with its slow drying time, allowed Dutch painters to execute detailed still life works. The scientific study of optics in the 19th century gave rise to the development of pointillism, a painting technique consisting of small dots of colour that, when perceived from afar, emerge as unified images. These are but a few Western examples of how art movements are tied to the technological advancements of the artists' times.
|
In the 21st century, we are living in an age in which digital technology is widespread, communication is electronic, and our surroundings are media-saturated. The following multimedia resource maps out some of the most significant technological advancements that have influenced media artists throughout the ages.
The word "pixel" is derived from "picture element." A pixel is the smallest element of a digital image. Digital images are often measured in units of dpi (dots per inch) or ppi (pixels per inch). In the above image of La Grande Jatte, the painting is composed of thousands of painted dots in real life, but the digital image is only 72 dpi!
|
Unit 1: THE DIGIAL IMAGE
This unit begins with an introductory discussion of the nature of reality from the perspective of the student. Are the visual images seen around us creatively useful and understandable?
We live in a complex, constructed environment and all aspects of modern life including the arts reflect this. By this standard then, we as citizens should be able to ask the question, “What is real?” in what we see. Who “owns” the images we see, the ideas we share, and when and how do they become our own?
Through basic introductory discussions, we will focus on the creative process as we come to understand how images can be manipulated through the use of traditional art tools (e.g., cut and paste, photocopy art, painting, printmaking, photography, drawing) and new and emergent technologies (e.g., digital imaging and graphics software). The activities offer you a variety of opportunities to create your own artwork through image manipulation.
You are presented with the work of contemporary media artists to look at and discuss, relative to the kind of work you are to endeavour to create. Group discussions and individual responses focus on the effects of image manipulation on the viewer, the ownership of images, and to what extent an image must be manipulated so as to become a unique and new, original artwork. These topics serve as a springboard for discussion of ethical, moral, and legal issues related to the altering of images.
We live in a complex, constructed environment and all aspects of modern life including the arts reflect this. By this standard then, we as citizens should be able to ask the question, “What is real?” in what we see. Who “owns” the images we see, the ideas we share, and when and how do they become our own?
Through basic introductory discussions, we will focus on the creative process as we come to understand how images can be manipulated through the use of traditional art tools (e.g., cut and paste, photocopy art, painting, printmaking, photography, drawing) and new and emergent technologies (e.g., digital imaging and graphics software). The activities offer you a variety of opportunities to create your own artwork through image manipulation.
You are presented with the work of contemporary media artists to look at and discuss, relative to the kind of work you are to endeavour to create. Group discussions and individual responses focus on the effects of image manipulation on the viewer, the ownership of images, and to what extent an image must be manipulated so as to become a unique and new, original artwork. These topics serve as a springboard for discussion of ethical, moral, and legal issues related to the altering of images.