This is a difficult question. Many artists, such as Marcel Duchamp and Jackson Pollock have tried to answer this question by sampling random numbers from a computer program and then weaving that data into a picture.
As such, it may be argued that computers have been used as art. However, this information is always in the eyes of the beholder. Some may consider these pieces of art while others may view it as just an excuse for a machine to create art.
In my opinion, computers cannot create art because computers do not possess the capacity to be creative.
Computers can perform calculations and can also attempt to create art, but computers do not possess the human emotion necessary to create art.
Yes, computers can generate art. However, this art is not random, it is still under human control. For example, take an image and paint it with a brush by hand.
Now, a computer can learn how to imitate this process very closely. The computer is capable of generating similar images but it is not capable of creating images that are beyond the artist’s control. The term “generative art” is used to describe art that is created by a computer.
But Yes, computers can generate art.
An artist called Scott Draves has programmed a computer to generate art. His program creates paintings with a humanlike style. The program chooses from over a billion different patterns and combines them in whatever way it feels like. The program even changes its painting style over time to resemble different artists.
I won’t get into any philosophical debates on the nature of art in our world. Suffice to say that artists throughout the ages have used computers to create art.
In fact, the field of computer graphics is actually founded by an artist. Alvy Ray Smith , an artist, was the leader of a research team that developed the first computer-generated film at the New York Institute of technology.
It’s called ” A Computer Animated Hand “, which is available for viewing on YouTube . The groundbreaking film was created in 1963.
