0305-03
Print
May 2003 (printed)
May 2003 (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Harold Cohen (born 1928) is a painter, printmaker and designer of textiles, but he is perhaps best known as the creator of AARON, a computer program utilising artificial intelligence (the branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave like humans) to generate artworks. AARON was conceived (around 1973) as the first in a projected series of programs but in fact Cohen is still working with AARON today. His creation of this program grew out of what he has described as his need 'to understand what art is'. In the process of designing a program to work with random variables, making its own decisions on colouring and composition, he explored the potential inherent in different programming languages.
Initially AARON produced drawings which were then coloured by Cohen. Most recently he has modified the program so that it chooses and applies the colours itself, resulting in digital prints which are the unmediated work of AARON. Cohen insists that display labels and image credits for prints produced by AARON should read "Digital print by AARON, a computer program written by Harold Cohen". To produce prints on this unprecedented scale Cohen has used one of the new wide-format printers, with archival pigment inks.
Initially AARON produced drawings which were then coloured by Cohen. Most recently he has modified the program so that it chooses and applies the colours itself, resulting in digital prints which are the unmediated work of AARON. Cohen insists that display labels and image credits for prints produced by AARON should read "Digital print by AARON, a computer program written by Harold Cohen". To produce prints on this unprecedented scale Cohen has used one of the new wide-format printers, with archival pigment inks.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | 0305-03 (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Digital print by AARON, a computer program written by Harold Cohen |
| Brief description | Digital inkjet print, abstracted floral imagery in pink and blue, by Harold Cohen, printed United States, 2003 |
| Physical description | A print of abstracted floral imagery printed in vivid colours, predominantly pinks and blues |
| Dimensions |
|
| Copy number | 2/5 |
| Marks and inscriptions |
|
| Gallery label | Chance and Control: Art in the Age of Computers (2018)
HAROLD COHEN (1928–2016)
0305-03
USA, 2003
This is one of Harold Cohen’s later artworks, produced using his AARON computer program and a large-format digital printer. Although the image appears to be semi-abstract, it incorporates some of the same natural forms that feature in the artist’s earlier work. By the 2000s Cohen was happy to use the printer’s vibrant colours, rather than hand-colouring the print himself.
Digital print
Given by the artist
Museum no. E.263-2005(07/07/2018-18/11/2018) |
| Credit line | Given by Harold Cohen |
| Summary | Harold Cohen (born 1928) is a painter, printmaker and designer of textiles, but he is perhaps best known as the creator of AARON, a computer program utilising artificial intelligence (the branch of computer science concerned with making computers behave like humans) to generate artworks. AARON was conceived (around 1973) as the first in a projected series of programs but in fact Cohen is still working with AARON today. His creation of this program grew out of what he has described as his need 'to understand what art is'. In the process of designing a program to work with random variables, making its own decisions on colouring and composition, he explored the potential inherent in different programming languages. Initially AARON produced drawings which were then coloured by Cohen. Most recently he has modified the program so that it chooses and applies the colours itself, resulting in digital prints which are the unmediated work of AARON. Cohen insists that display labels and image credits for prints produced by AARON should read "Digital print by AARON, a computer program written by Harold Cohen". To produce prints on this unprecedented scale Cohen has used one of the new wide-format printers, with archival pigment inks. |
| Bibliographic reference | Harold Cohen: Decoupling Art and Affluence, 05/28/2002:
http://web.archive.org/web/20230109152622/https://www.kurzweilai.net/articles/art6046 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.263-2005 |
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| Record created | August 1, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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