Fractal Art
posted by Keith at 11:36 AMThis is the time of year that I think about submitting fractal art to one of the big fairs in my area. I am not going to do it this year. My fractal flame has dimmed a lot, but I still like to reflect back on past experience with that fair. Here are some random thoughts about it.
It's a pretty big art show. I don't remember the exact number, but I think that last year there was around around 600 entries accepted. It does not include a photography category but it does have oil, sculpting, watercolor and several others, including computer art. Again, I am not sure of the exact numbers, but I think that the computer art category had around 30 entries, so it was about 5% of the total show. Out of the 30, there might have been 2 or 3 fractal based pieces, so let's say that fractal art comprised of less than 1% of the entire show.
I have told this story before, but I think it is worth repeating... I'll never forget the time that I had a fractal based print in that show. I was standing next to it when a couple approached it. The first thing that the man said was, "that's just Photoshop". He was a pen and ink artist and it was obvious to me that he didn't have a lot of respect for "computer art". I had heard about that computer-did-all-of-the-work attitude before and that day I saw it face to face.
Let's face it, when it comes to fractal art, the computer does do a lot of the work. I wonder what impact that has on fractal art being accepted as legitimate art? I am thinking, probably not as much impact as that less than 1% number. Out of 600 accepted entries, only 2 or 3 were fractal based.
What is fractal art anyway? I don't know. I don't think that there is a clear definition. I also don't care. I am content with a computer category. At least there is one of those. Besides, with only 2 or 3 entries per year it would not make sense to create a separate category for fractal art.
Fractal art is a tiny spec on that world of art. It practically doesn't exist. It seems like there are thousands of fractals posted every day on the community sites, so how can I say that fractal art practically does not exist? I am looking at it based on my (limited) experience in context with traditional art.
I still believe that the best thing that anyone can do to promote the art of fractals is to get it printed and out there where it can be seen sitting next to traditional art. I still do not believe that the Internet is the best way to promote it. The community site are especially ineffective at promotion, at least outside of the community.
Last year I noticed a fractal in the judges section of the gallery. It was just a simple black and white Mandelbrot. At least that judge knew what a fractal was, but I think that he is an exception. Most people do not know what a fractal is . Even those of us in the middle of it cannot put a definition on "fractal art".
I'm OK with that. It's wide open. We can define fractal art as we go along. The people who do print and promote their own art have little to no competition. Take advantage of it.
Labels: fractal art
2 Comments:
Keith,
It's true the computer does a lot of the work. In fact, it does so much of the work that if we had to do it ourselves, fractal art would flat-out not exist. That does not, however, invalidate the work at all. Rather, it changes which part of the work we're recognizing when we say "that's art!"
In the beginning, cavemen scratched crude images into stone. Later, they got smarter and realized certain liquids would stain the rock, reducing hard manual labor to simply putting liquid (ink/paint) on the stone face. "Og, you not make art! Art need stone scratch stone! Real art take muscle!" "Ug, you primitive caveman. Smart art use paint. Make better picture if not bash rocks together!"
Eventually painting became a highly refined art form. Painting requires a collection of skills; not only do you need to have imagination and creativity, but you also need physical dexterity to manipulate your brushes properly, and you need experience to know when to use each brush and knife in your toolbox. If your paints are watercolors, you also need to know how the water is going to interact with your paper. If you're using pencils or charcoal you need to know how to smudge to produce smooth shades. So, not only is there a creative element, but there's a physical element as well.
There will always be artists who scoff at any new form of art because it doesn't require such physical skills. To me that is just snobbery; that is like saying, if you can compose a beautiful symphony but you can't play the French horn, you're not any kind of artist; it completely discounts any value in being a composer. This is the same kind of situation that photographers found themselves in. Everyone assumed the camera did all the work. And yes, the camera does do a lot of work; but at the same time, because it captures reality, it limits what the artist can do. Anyone can take photos, but not everyone's photos are great photos, let alone great art.
The skills to be a photographic artist only partially overlap the skills required to be a great painter. You need the same compositional skills and some of the same imagination skills (to be able to visualize how to change a scene into something that will actually work). In place of the physical skills of holding a paintbrush you need the physical skills of holding a camera still while taking the photo, knowing the limits of your shutter speed vs. your focal length, how to set the exposure properly (either by hand or how to correct for a smart-but-not-really-smart computer exposure) and more.
The fact that a different set of skills are required for good fractal art does not mean it is not art. It just means different people will excel at it than would excel at a more physical medium. I am mediocre at drawing, painting, and sculpting (yes I've tried all three). I think I'm a bit better than mediocre at fractal art. The skillset for being a good fractal artist is a better fit for me.
Fear and jealousy appearing in our critics should not be a surprise to is. Take it as a compliment: they wouldn't bother if they didn't see you as a threat.
--Damien
Art is definitely a product of the mind, not of the tools used to produce it. Given the same tools, no two people will show identical abilities. I do agree that fractals should be shown in any arena that we can get them in! I'm going to put one of my recent ones into my fair... you should too!
~Viv (tresamie)
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