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Porto Rico
digital collage
Yesterday I was surfing the internet and read Ian Foster's most recent blogpost, which had a very interesting topic: he is wondering whether 'real' artists (the ones that use glue, paper and paint) think that making digital collages is art, or is it 'cheating' a bit...
Ian is an abstract painter and also makes the most wonderful photographs and has now posted his first results in the field of digital collaging, using his own pictures.
Now isn't that art?
I have come across this discussion in the art world quite a few times. It is ever present in the quiltworld (is this still a quilt, is this not only pieces of fabric, too modern, too traditional etc?) More in general I see a similarity in the age old struggle between art and craft: Is it art or is it craft?
Being a digital collager myself I can totally understand Ian's question and his doubts whether 'real' artists take this work seriously. Of course it is true that without a digital camera and good photo editing program, digital collaging would be impossible, but I consider these the tools that every artist needs, albeit it more technical than a gluestick or brush e.g.
As for myself: I also use my own pictures, sometimes the collages go easy and build up quite quickly, but it is the combining that gets tricky now and then. I have destroyed many a collage that was already good, by just adding another layer and the whole thing was destroyed!
As with painting and other art forms, there is no recipe of how to get this or that result, it mostly depends what pictures you choose to work with and it is always, as with all art, a matter of composition, balance, rules of thirds, colour etc.
For me the answer is clear, I just try to make something beautiful and eye pleasing (now this is another discussion, I know, I know...)
And you, what do you think??
3 comments:
Yes it's art!!! And beautiful, too. I love your digital collages!
Although I work with paper, glue, scissors; I often incorporate digital photography in my collage work and would love to experiment more with digital collage. My son does digital collage work and from talking to him I've learned that it's not easy and you really need to know your tools well.
Your provocative questions will be debated for years to come and the question "What is art?" will never truly be answered. As artists, it is our duty to just keep creating and forget about our critics.
Thanks for stopping by my blog, Regina, and your kind words about Spencer.
It is a question that continues to be debated among the serious collectors of art, who for the most part have resisted photography when it became a new form of visual expression and even though B/W has become an acceptable art, colour and digital imaging are still fighting for their rights.
Though we may consider digital art just another form of artistic expression, it is relative new territory and it will be be interesting to see what collectors are willing to except as good digital art and be willing to invest in it.
It is not until someone sits down and actually works on a complex piece, does one know the work and especially how much time is involved to creating a good piece that does not say 'digital art' upon once first glance at it.
Back in 2000 to develop over 750 ideas for eight large paintings based on the designs I created with the aid of a computer, as I view the machine just as another instrument as a brush or a pencil.
No tool can work on its own without the aid of a mind to guide.
So to answer your question, 'is it art', I simple respond by saying that we must judge it on the same bases as we judge a painting, a sculpture or any other form of art, as to composition, use of colour, technique, subject matter and originality.
Thank you for posting, enjoy your week.
Egmont
I failed to mention that as I work in the traditional method of collage, I find that using the computer helps me expand on ideas and then trying to see if they can be achieved through traditional means.
The computer is a wonderful tool, but like any tool, it comes down to how it is being applied.
Egmont
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