How has technology impacted art? Despite at our core being predisposed toward art, it hasn’t been a possibility for the layperson to engage and make their own. Consider the costs of things like musical instruments, paint supplies, and so forth. For the average working person, this is an extravagant expenditure.
That isn’t the case today, and we’re going to explore the why behind it.
Democratizing
When we talk about how computers have impacted art, the big elephant in the room is the fact that it has made it accessible to everyone. You don’t need to spend years in art school or learning classical forms. If you’ve got access to a basic computer and a mouse, you can make art right now.
This goes further back than you might think with digital art making a splash in the 1970s. However, it wasn’t until the 1980s when microcomputers started showing up in homes around the world that we began to see it come to life.
Now, forty or more years on, it is impossible to think of a world without digital art. For the cost of an Apple Pencil and an iPad, you can make whatever you want. Kids around the world are used to doodling in MS Paint. It isn’t just here, it’s here in every home around the world.
Lower Costs
You might balk at this, but that’s fine. One of the biggest ways computers impacted art is the reduction of cost. Yes, a computer is a steep investment. However, compare that to buying fresh painting supplies monthly and see which comes out cheaper over time.
When I started playing guitar in 2004, the cost of my terrible amp and first electric was somewhere around $600. When I decided to upgrade, the amp itself was around $1400. I haven’t had an amp in over a decade, though. If you’ve got the means to connect your instruments to a computer, you have an amp in there for the low cost of nothing.
Costs have come down tremendously. Further, the impact of computers on art in some less obvious ways can be felt. High-quality, precision-machine instruments for musicians, mass production of art supplies, and so forth have led to a revolution of sorts for the wannabe artist.
New Forms
Rounding out our exploration of how computers impacted art are the new forms that have arisen. Digital art installations, AI art, full computer generation of assets and so much more are just commonplace now. I remember being a child and being awed by Pixar’s Toy Story. Your average teenager with copious amounts of free time and a copy of Blender can do something similar with far less effort these days.
The trail has been blazed, and new forms are coming up all the time. New microgenres of music, data moshing of images, and so much more. It is an exciting time to be alive and witness this new explosion of creativity. While it was there in the 1980s and 1990s, 2024 has shown what digital art means for the masses.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Haris Setiyono/Shutterstock.com.