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                                             February 12, 2022

Some computer geeks made some remarks on art
that I agree with-- This is not something that
happens every day.

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30220831

An amichail asks:

   "Why isn't computer programming a major part
   of the arts?  One can create almost
   anything using computer programming. This
   is not true with any other artistic tool."


chubot wrote:

    "I think I suffered from this same fallacy >20 years ago...
    I would say it's a 'mathematician's view of art', i.e. that
    generality is better."

    "I was really into music and audio, and I remember talking
    to another computer person about how it would be cool to
    make our own DAW (digital audio workstation), and then
    presumably make some kind of musical masterpiece because we
    could create anything!"

    "Aside from the fact that this is a ridiculously large
    project that was never finished, generality isn't better if
    you care about good art. Constraints breed creativity, etc."

    "Spending time around successful artists will cure you of
    this notion. e.g. I worked with technical artists in video
    games -- they are using a computer, but they think VERY
    differently than programmers and mathematicians. I also knew
    some pretty successful musicians."

    "Summary: plenty of art is created with computers, but
    without programming. Teaching programming to artists is
    probably a good idea in some circumstances, but not
    obviously better than teaching photography or even say
    public speaking. That doesn't mean programming is invalid,
    but it's one tool and it's not especially likely to lead to
    good artistic results. The balance may change in the future
    but I suspect it will always be somewhat true, probably just
    because of the way brains work (both the creator's and
    audience's)"




eigenhombre wrote:

    "A lot of art-making is about constraints. These are
    generally imposed by the medium (What can I make with bits
    of dried colored goo on a rectangular surface? Or with just
    a pencil and paper?) or by some arbitrary-but-effective rule
    set (e.g., the sonnet form in poetry, the fugue in music)."

    "Great art embraces and somehow transcends the constraints of
    the chosen form. Consider how great paintings, constrained as
    they are in their static, rectangular form, almost leap from
    the canvas into your eyes. They are magical because skill of
    the artist and the constraints exist and work together."

    "The best computer art will work not because computers can
    be used to 'create almost anything,' but because the
    constraints inherent in computing (or some chosen set of
    constraints therein) stimulate artists to make great
    things inside those constraints."

    "We do already have some good constraints we can choose to
    work within. I like text games, roguelikes, etc. because
    they stimulate my imagination more than immersive graphics
    do, and because such games have been a part of computing
    almost since the beginning [1]. As computers become ever
    more ubiquitous and powerful, we may have to apply our own
    constraints, and find which ones give rise to the most
    interesting art."

        "[1] A great history is at
        https://if50.substack.com/,
        frequently mentioned on HN"




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