Pixelated
Definition
This term refers to artworks that incorporate or mimic the appearance of pixels, the small, square elements that make up digital images. Pixelated art often explores themes of digital technology, fragmentation, and the intersection between digital and analog forms, using the grid-like structure of pixels to create abstract or representational images.
History
The pixelated aesthetic emerged with the rise of digital technology and the proliferation of low-resolution images in the 1980s and 1990s. Artists like Chuck Close and Cory Arcangel have used the pixel as a formal element in their work, often exploring the ways in which digital images are constructed and deconstructed, and how this process relates to broader cultural and technological shifts.
Notable Examples
Chuck Close
Lucas, 1986
Cory Arcangel
Super Mario Clouds, 2002
Key Artists & Movements
Key figures include Chuck Close, whose later works use a grid system that mimics the pixelation of digital images, creating highly detailed portraits that appear abstract up close but resolve into realistic images from a distance, and Cory Arcangel, a contemporary artist who uses digital and internet-based technologies to create works that often involve pixelation and low-resolution aesthetics.
Techniques & Materials
Techniques involve the use of grids, small squares, or digital processes to create images that either simulate or directly involve pixelation. Artists may work in traditional media, such as painting or drawing, or use digital tools to create pixelated effects. The focus is often on the tension between clarity and obscurity, resolution and fragmentation, and the ways in which digital technology influences visual perception and artistic expression. Pixelated art can range from abstract compositions that emphasize the grid-like structure of pixels to representational images that play with the viewer's perception of detail and resolution.
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