Computer composition with lines
Photograph
1964 (made), 1970s (printed)
1964 (made), 1970s (printed)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This is a photographic print of a computer-generated image originally created by A. Michael Noll in 1964, at Bell Labs, Murray Hill, New Jersey. The artist has stated that "This work closely mimics the painting "Composition With Lines" by Piet Mondrian. When reproductions of both works were shown to 100 people, the majority preferred the computer version and believed it was done by Mondrian."
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Computer composition with lines (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Photography |
| Brief description | Photographic print, 'Computer Composition with Lines', by A. Michael Noll, New Jersey, 1964 |
| Physical description | Black and white photograph of a computer-generated image with small black lines forming a central circle. The image resembles 'Composition With Lines' by Piet Mondrian. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label | Chance and Control: Art in the Age of Computers (2018)
A. MICHAEL NOLL (born 1939)
Computer Composition with Lines
USA, made 1964, printed 1970s
A. Michael Noll created this computer-generated version of Piet Mondrian’s Composition in Line to determine whether computers could mimic artistic creativity. He showed a copy of Mondrian’s artwork alongside the machine-made image and asked 100 participants to guess which was the original. Only 28% of them correctly identified the Mondrian. Noll observed that people associated ‘the randomness of the computer-generated picture with human creativity’.
Photographic print of a computer-generated image
Given by the artist
Museum no. E.35-2011(07/07/2018-18/11/2018) |
| Credit line | Gift of A. Michael Noll © AMN 1965 |
| Summary | This is a photographic print of a computer-generated image originally created by A. Michael Noll in 1964, at Bell Labs, Murray Hill, New Jersey. The artist has stated that "This work closely mimics the painting "Composition With Lines" by Piet Mondrian. When reproductions of both works were shown to 100 people, the majority preferred the computer version and believed it was done by Mondrian." |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | E.35-2011 |
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| Record created | March 28, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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