There is this widespread notion that it must be pretty tough for an artist to create artworks these days. After all, technology has heavily dominated the world in the 21st century, and how can art compete with that? Especially when art is an old field and technology is a new field that’s already taking the world by storm. For a lot of people, they think that the answer is crystal clear: it’s a losing battle for art, considering that technology is the obvious winner.
To be fair, that assumption has some sense to it, even if it’s a tiny one. It is true that technology rules the world right now. But one thing that people always forget to consider is the fact that art doesn’t exist in a vacuum — yes, it has been around for millennia, literally speaking, and the primary reason why it has continued to last so long is because of the fact that it adapts. No matter what time period it is, what country, or what social climate — art will always find a way to integrate its surroundings to its trends. In other words, the real world helps shape art in a way.
So, with that said, it’s more accurate to say that technology is more a friend to art than a foe. But the question remains: how exactly does technology help contemporary artists with their art, especially now in 2019 and onwards? Here are two answers to that question:
More Art Supplies for Artists to Work With
Because of technology, there’s now been a rapid and constant rise in new things. There are inventions of various software and products left and right, and for every invention, there will always be innovations. In other words, there is always a constant stream of something new, and of course, art benefits from that.
As you’re all aware, a lot of the art supplies artists use are pretty traditional: paint, paintbrush, canvas, pencil, and many more. But with technology, their art supplies now go beyond the traditional ones. There are now gadgets like tablets and digital pens and software applications like Adobe Photoshop, and all these will help artists in creating digital art. These will also help the artists make the process of creating an artwork a lot less stressful.
Before, artists always had to make sure that every painstaking stroke or movement is the right one to avoid mistakes and to correctly portray what they wanted their painting or sketch to show, but right now, artists can modify their artwork with a click of the mouse. It lessens the hassle for the artist without damaging their creativity.
Basically, technology helps broaden the horizons of an artist’s creativity while also limit the problems that they might encounter. It makes the production of art a lot less demanding, and as a result, artists now have more time to contemplate and expand their creativity. And honestly, that is a serious win for art.
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More Accessible to the Masses
In the past, in order for someone to be able to view an artist’s work, they have to visit a gallery or a museum. And for a lot of people, that fact is a deal-breaker, because 1) it requires effort to go out of the house and travel miles just to visit the nearest museum and 2) more often than not, it also requires money because art galleries and museums have an entrance fee. As a result, people will choose to stay at home since it will save not only their energy but also their money.
This can be a problem for artists. You see, creating art is a job, so of course, they’d want to make money off of it, but if your artworks are all locked away in a museum, then only a few people are able to view them. And what is the point of making art when not everyone is able to see and enjoy your artwork?
Thankfully, technology is here to save the day. With the rise of social media, artists can now make their artworks visible to millions of viewers for free. And in addition to that, social media have also increased the engagement between the artists and their audience, making art a more participatory experience. As a result, the audiences of art are now more diverse.
That is such a good thing because artists will get the recognition and visibility that they deserve, and this will hopefully lead them to more profit. And plus, more people will be able to view and enjoy their artworks. What a beautiful thing, indeed.
The Takeaway
Contrary to popular belief, technology is not an enemy to art — if anything, it’s actually an ally. So, to artists out there, use technology to your heart’s content in the production of your own art, and you might be surprised to discover just how much this tool is actually going to help you in the end.
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