Internet art

Art transcends format so it is no surprise that with the birth of the Internet a new form of art arrived: Digital art. Digital art is made or at least modified on a computer. Due to the many different tastes and preferences of people around the world Internet art is an amalgamation of styles.

The Internet is a perfect platform for art. There will always be an audience and the idea that if you like your art, there is probably at least another few people who will enjoy it and more will serve as an audience.  Websites such as DeviantArt are social networks for artists to share their work. No longer do established artists have to be from a family that is well-off, most of the best work comes from people that struggle and have something to keep their art fresh anyway. Artists can present their art on websites and performance artists can have videos on video sites such as YouTube or Vimeo, which advertise similar videos, making it easier for someone with an interest in art like it to find the artists.

With the multitude of artists finding a new platform it is becoming increasingly necessary to ‘push the boat out’ and resort to more shocking art to get seen. Shock art is deep in the roots of post nineteenth century art, making a piece of art ironically to provoke the audience is a well-established form of art but with so many artists on the internet, performance art is becoming more graphic and gruesome and still image art is reaching new highs (or lows) thanks to the invention of photo editing software. It is obvious that a lot of these artists are only doing it to see how far they can go and just for the shock rather than doing it for arts sake. The depths of the internet can be a scary place full of these weird images that someone had obviously thought of.

Another form of internet art often forgot about is designing websites. To be one website in millions and have a viewer stay on the page is a skill so the site designer has but a few seconds to catch the viewers eye and direct them (without telling) where the page wants them to go. A logo can be the most famous part of a website or it could be an easy or fun layout. Basically, however, the page has to portray accurately the subject it is on in a few seconds. For example, Google has a sleek, minimalist webpage whereas Reddit would be cluttered, to allow for the readers to lose concentration on one subject and swiftly move to another without leaving the site.

The internet has had a great impact on art and the changes it has made regarding who can and cannot be an artist as well as requiring new forms of art to be made to allow for the ever changing fashions of this new and volatile platform.