Art Snob??

Sometimes I wonder if I'm an art snob because my gut reaction to art done on a computer is that it's not "real" art. What complicates this further is I can't really explain to you what "real" art is. All I know is that when I see a pretty picture and find out it's all digital, I dunno...I feel a sense that it's cheating. Cheating in the same way I see a DJ as not being a real musician. Pressing buttons isn't music and it doesn't feel like art to me either.

I'm no dummy, I fully realize the place digital art has in the world today and am trying to remain viable. I'm working against every old-school instinct and preference I have, though. I know, I know, you have to adapt to survive. I'm a Darwinist, so I get it. For the speed and versatility demanded by today's business models, digital art is a necessity. Newspapers and magazines don't have the traditional art departments anymore where people would labor over art boards, cutting and pasting copy by hand, manually cropping photographs and applying the registration marks for the printer themselves. All that is done on computers these days. Same for sign makers, stationary companies, etc. etc. Logos are all designed on computers now too. Which is nice, because lettering has always been my weakest suit when it comes to art. So I fully embrace the ability to do that on a PC.


But I enjoy looking at a painting and drawing that's been handmade. I like seeing the brushstrokes, the pencil and pen strokes. I marvel at the skill it takes to apply smooth shading, uniform lines, the knowledge of perspective. I like seeing the imperfections too. To me, that's almost more art than anything...the humanness of it. Look at an old Calvin and Hobbes book, you can see where the watercolor is just over the outline in spots and where the line value of the outline wavers just a bit. You know he sat down and did it himself. He worked it with his hands, paint, ink and a brush. Many cartoonists use the computer today not just for color anymore but for everything else too. They look great, don't get me wrong, but it's just a bit TOO perfect to my eyes. I like getting the sense that the person who drew something has a little bit of ink under their fingernails.


Currently I'm taking a class on Adobe Illustrator. Like I said, I'm no dummy. I'm attempting to keep up. But I gotta say, when I complete a project I don't feel that sense of accomplishment I get when I complete a painting. I feel more like I successfully and correctly completed a series of commands rather than created art. I'm more relieved that I'm finished than proud of what I've done. There's nothing visceral about it, no connection. When I hand draw or paint something, I can stand back and still "feel" what I did. I can remember how smooth that line went down, how I struggled with that other part, the almost zen like peace of repetitively laying on some thick coats of color or shading. The painting has a tangible texture. I can trace my finger along a brushstroke and feel the ridges of it. I shift and turn the canvas or paper constantly while I'm working. I stand, twist, sit, bend, stoop to get where I need to be. It's a physical experience as much as it is a visual one. And that effort comes out on the canvas. You can see emotion and effort in a stroke. To go back to the DJ analogy, it's the difference between hearing a guitar sample and having an actual living guitarist in front of you with steel strings and electricty under their fingers, hearing what's coming out of their hands through a speaker that's moving air in real time. I think that's what's missing for me when it comes to digital. It's just me sitting, looking at a screen, clicking the mouse and pressing buttons. It's really no fun....nothing is moving except a cursor.


I'm fully aware of the possibilities and convenience computer art offers. You can scan in a line drawing, play with the colors, re size objects, create multiple versions of a work quickly and easily. It's much easier to line things up correctly, make it proportionally correct, center it, reverse it, etc. etc. And it takes a solid knowledge of color theory and design principles to make it all look good. I'll never accuse digital artists of being unskilled. One of my big artistic influences, Derek Riggs (the guy responsible for all that amazing Iron Maiden artwork) works exclusively in digital now. Due to his artistic skill, his current pieces are amazing. But for me, they are still missing something from the days when he was slaving over an art board with a pen and brush.


Many see it as just another medium for artists to explore and there is alot of truth in that. It's the latest tool in the artist toolbox. It's up to each artist to determine it's worth in relation to what they do. As far as being necessary in today's fast paced world, I accept it 100%. As far as liking it..well, I'm not there yet.