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About Applegater. (Jacksonville, OR) 2008-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 2012)
8 Spring 2012 Applegater TRENDS AND OBSERVATIONS Painting with pixels BY rAuNo PErttu Our accelerating technological space ships or as evil entities seeking to rule revolution is continually changing our or destroy our world. With the creation lives. We all see it happening, but we of personal desktop computers with rarely stop to recognize and appreciate automated programming, PCs quickly the fundamental nature of many of became a necessary tool and toy for many these changes. I want to comment on a people. Soon, computer games and online couple of obvious areas of technological communication moved many kids from advancement that have changed our world outdoor activities to the depths of their and our daily routines, and to touch on a bedrooms, and many relationships evolved change that may not be as obvious. from face-to-face to screen-to-screen. PCs We all recognize the changes that also changed the way we receive and seek have occurred over out information, hen i was young, computers the past century, not replacing many were strange wall-sized just in music, but traditional roles machines with blinking lights... also in how we listen of libraries while to music. A hundred years ago, if you creating new ones for them and opening up wanted to hear music, your only practical the world to all of us in ways not possible options were to find a live performance before. We can judge for ourselves which or learn to play an instrument or to sing parts of this are for the better or for the yourself. By the time we “graysters” were worse. growing up, we had other options. We Researchers are already working heard our music on phonograph records, to replace the laptop, which I thought radio and television. By the mid-1960s, was just invented yesterday, with one technology started replacing our records small lightweight device that will replace with tape cassettes, which were replaced everything we used to carry or ever even by CD players 25 years later. thought about carrying. Compact discs have now gone the One early victim of this technical same way as the cassette and vinyl records. change is the wristwatch. While I, as a On my last birthday, my daughter Emily “semigeezer,” would feel slightly naked told me I should join the modern age and without my wristwatch, a large and gifted me an iPod digital music player, growing number of younger people don’t which is just a bit smaller and much even own a watch. They use their phones thinner than a deck of cards. Most of my to tell time, and also to check the weather, previous CD library is already uploaded send and receive e-mails, check the stock to this tiny device, and with more time market, catch the news, etc. Small wonder and effort digitizing, all of our old vinyl printed newspapers are disappearing. records will fit on it as well. As novel and While not as obvious as these other impressive as this still is to me, I expect our changes, I see another change in full methods of storing and playing music to bloom. continue to evolve and improve. I’ve recently rediscovered my long- Another, perhaps more fundamental neglected passion for oil painting. When way technology has changed and continues I was young, I almost chose to major in art, to change our lives is in our use of but fell in love with geology, and decided computers. When I was young, computers geology would provide more certainty of were strange wall-sized machines with eating. Being a starving artist didn’t really blinking lights, used mostly by IBM for appeal to me. After years of not making mysterious calculations and by science the time, I’ve recently started setting up fiction writers and moviemakers as my easel again. wondrous aids to launching and operating I’ve always felt strongly that the W development of the camera profoundly new devices for impacted art, and painting in particular. music that are Before the development of the camera, easier to use and paintings were the primary visual way more flexible have Rauno Perttu to preserve people, places, events and replaced earlier memories. I don’t think it was an accident devices on a continuing basis, I believe that Impressionism and all of the non- similar changes are happening to art. representational art movements that Digital art allows people to create their followed coincided with the development visions on a computer screen without of photography and film. Photography the need of a brush or paint. Although provided a more efficient and visually different skills and tools are used, the accurate way of preserving faces and results can be more precise, varied and events. Artists conceded much of their striking than can ever be accomplished former role as recorders of visual history with a brush. to photographers, and expanded into the Technology is changing the art world, new realms of modern art. They went but I think even more profound changes through a crisis of trying to redefine their are yet to come. I am impressed with the relevance to the modern world. I think we art coming from the growing community are culturally richer for that artistic crisis of digital artists. They have the ability and what it triggered. to incorporate movement and sound As a result of new technological into their visual images, expanding their advances, the art world may be going options further. It’s clear that continuing through another crisis. The new challenge technological advances will allow artists to is coming from the impressive advances in blur the boundaries between art and other computer graphics. Hopefully, when the media, and eventually even between art pixels settle, we will again be culturally and what we consider reality. enriched. If you are unfamiliar with digital art, When I look at the spectacular effects you can get a feel for the variety of this achievable using computer graphics, art on your computer by googling “digital whether in modern art” or “CG art” hile i, as a “semigeezer,” films, in visual art, and exploring from would feel slightly naked or even in the new there. Alternatively video games my son without my... (and don’t be scared shares with me from off by the site’s time to time, I recognize that traditional name), www.deviantart.com is perhaps artists are being challenged. I personally at the core of this new art culture and a think we old weekend painters—and even great place to start looking. The cliché “It’s professional painters—could become a changing world” is an understatement. novelties. At some near-future time, Meanwhile, I will continue to use my paintings may be replaced by digital oils and brushes. It’s what I learned when artwork, some of which is very good. It I was young, and recently rediscovered. may not be very long before we replace There are moments, however, when I look paintings on our walls with flat screens, or at the dramatic effects those digital artists their next technological descendent. These can create and wish, “If only I could do that screens could change their images as often with a brush.” as desired, and could incorporate motion, Rauno Perttu sound, and much more. 541-899-8036 It’s clear to me that digital art has jrperttu@charter.net become a new mainstream of art. Just as W
