Hans E. Dehlinger: Yellow Strokes

  • ©,

Artist(s):


Title:


    Yellow Strokes

Exhibition:


Creation Year:


    2001

Medium:


    Print from plotterdata; paper with UV-shielding

Category:


Artist Statement:


    Yellow strokes in blue space. Algorithmic generated drawing. Lines are polygons. The plotter data are converted to printer output.

    Some remarks on algorithmic generated lines:

    Artwork based on line drawings is challenging for a number of reasons. It makes use of one element only – the line – and it relies entirely on its calligraphic qualities. Drawing is more related to writing than to painting, and it has a transient element to it, which is attributed to the movements of the pen-equipped hand.

    Besides the heritage of hand drawing, which we conceive as a fantastically rich universe, we may conceive an equally fantastic universe of machine drawings. Line drawings that populate this universe should exhibit qualities in their own right, i.e. they should: exploit algorithmic techniques; be non- reproducible by hand; show that they have been drawn by a machine; achieve a distinct and unique type of structuring; belong to an identifiable universe; exhibit strong calligraphic qualities; and make the question “how was it done?” entirely beside the point. My art experiments focus on drawings, generated by algorithms. The drawings are usually plotted on paper with ink, pencil, and ballpoint pens. The basic line element is a polygon. A number of parameters like length of segment, angle, number of segments, spread, and so on are used to control the development of such lines. Since pen-driven plotters are becoming extinct, new print technologies are used, which also allow for exploring new ways of interpretation.

    Earlier versions of the program were running on a Tektronics 4052 and later on a PC. The program in its present form is written in Fortran using GKS and is operable on a Siemens WS 430 workstation. It was implemented as a partnership-project between the North China University of Technology in Beijing (Qi Dongxu, Xu Yingqing) and the University of Kassel (Hans Dehlinger).