Request to view

This object can be requested via email from the Prints & Drawings Study Room

Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Computer composition with lines

Photograph
1964 (made), 1970s (printed)
Artist/Maker
A. Michael Noll (computer artist)
Place of origin
New Jersey (made)

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
Computer Art
Photographs
Object type
Photograph
TitleComputer composition with lines (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Photography
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
  • Height: 28cm
  • Length: 21.8cm
Gallery label
(07/07/2018-18/11/2018)
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
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
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
E.35-2011

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdMarch 28, 2011
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1193787/computer-composition-with-lines-photograph-a-michael-noll/
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest