Technology and Computer Arts: An Annotated Bibliography

Beginning this assignment for my three pages of content, I decided I wanted to take the part of learning about the role of art in CGI graphics, and whether art can live on in the form of digital technology such as those graphics.  So I began with a simple google search, as is my normal study go-to habit.  I received very-little to nothing on CGI and technology when it comes to computer graphics.  Refining my search, I came upon an article by Michael Naimark that shortly discussed the relationship between technology and art in the computer world.  Using his homepage, I was able to find more works of his, and then look at his references for those works.  Naimark was a good source, but I needed more info on this subject.  Thus, I was brought to different scholarly articles by Csuri and Nols, two leading computer artists in this world of diminishing art.  After reading their works, I was able to construct my paragraphs and write three pages of useful content.

But why is computer-generated art and CGI so important in the world of art?  Because it is the new medium of everyday life all over the world.  The world has turned away from the traditional canvas and oil paintings, and look to the world of technology now.  With art left behind, it had to adapt to the computer-driven world, and although not as prominent as artists were in the past, it is growing quickly, and can be a strong medium and backbone to the 21st century of artists.  By having these works available, and artists pioneering the way for current generation artists, art will be able to grow in an increasingly technological world.

Further Reading:

• Csuri, Charles and Raffers, James. (Art, Computers, and Mathematics. Columbus, 1968). This discusses the role of artists when working computers, and how the computers themselves are a special artistic contribution. Also discusses the increasing need for artists to be like scientists to use computer art, and how computers in their intelligence can help artists achieve a new art unlike any other. [I found this work first by researching the history of computer art and CGI graphics. Upon finding a concise and helpful history by Ohio State University, I looked at its references and came upon this article.]

• Naimark, Michael. (Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Money: Technology-Based Art and the Dynamics of Sustainability. Cambridge, 2003). This work discusses the role of art has today in a technology-driven world. It first states that computer art is growing, but the purpose and intent of art is disappearing. Art is being used increasingly for advertisement companies and the government, and less and less for the individual artist. Naimark then sets forth a plan to help art be more successful primarily in the United States. [I found this work after researching Naimark, who is integral in the studies of art and computer animation. After going to his website, I was able to find a link to this article.]

• Noll, A. Michael. (The Digital Computer as the Creative Medium. 1967.). This article discusses how computers have affected artists, and how the computer's advanced technology is evolving the way art is seen and heard across the world. It also discusses how the computer adapts to the person using the computer, so artistic individuality is very possible and very real when using computer art.[I also found this work first by researching the history of computer art and CGI graphics. Upon finding a concise and helpful history by Ohio State University, I looked at its references and came upon this article in PDF form.]

Thought Leaders:

• Michael Naimark (Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Money: Technology-Based Art and the Dynamics of Sustainability. Cambridge, 2003). Michael Naimark helped found a number of prominent research labs including the MIT Media Laboratory (1980), the Atari Research Lab (1982), the Apple Multimedia Lab (1987), Lucasfilm Interactive (1989), and Interval Research Corporation (1992).  At MIT, Naimark helped put together the Aspen Movie Map, a hypermedia project. [I found this work by first googling "Arts and Technology CGI" and came up with this scholarly article. Naimark has written multiple works on how the world of arts is in the 21st century].

• Charles Csuri (Beyond Boundaries. Ohio State University Press. 1963.). Charles Csuri is best known for pioneering the field of computer graphics, computer animation and digital fine art, creating the first computer art in 1964. Csuri has been recognized as the father of digital art and computer animation by Smithsonian, and as a leading pioneer of computer animation by the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group Graphics (ACM SIGGRAPH). [I discovered Csuri through Ohio State University's history on the computer arts reference page.  His works coincide greatly with the topic I have, so I researched him and discovered his contribution to digital art].

• A. Michael Noll (Principles of Modern Communications Technology, Artech House, Inc. Norwood. 2001.). Currently retired, A. Michael Noll has had a varied career in communications as a researcher at Bell Labs, a pioneer in computer art and animation, staff member to the White House Science Advisor, AT&T manager and planner, academic professor and administrator, author, columnist, classical music critic, archivist, and biographer. He continues to write about telecommunication and other issues. Dr. A. Michael Noll is a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. [I discovered Noll the same way I discovered Csuri: through the reference page of a historical view of computer art.  His works on modern technology and the computer's contribution to art are very pertinent to the topic at hand.]