View source

From GenerativeArt

== Biography == <SPAN STYLE="font-size: larger;">American Artist - Born: 1929</SPAN> Artist and historian Roman Verostko, was born in 1929 in the coalfields of Western Pennsylvania (USA). In the early 1980's, following 30 years of painting, he began executing algorithmic drawings with a pen plotter. Today his studio includes a network of computers coupled to pen plotters driven with his own original software. By 1987 he created the world's first software driven 'brushed' paintings with oriental brushes mounted on his pen plotter. His studio integrates coded digital procedure with fine art traditions. Verostko is one of the 'Algorists' group of computer artists. Education 1949 Diploma, Art Institute of Pittsburg, Illustration & Graphics <br> 1955 BA, Philosophy, St Vincent College <br> 1954-59 Theology, St. Vincent Seminary <br> 1961 MFA, Pratt Institute <br> 1961-1962 Columbia & NYU Graduate work in Art History <br> 1962-1963 Printmaking, Hayter's Atelier 17, Paris <br> 1969 Summer, Athens, Ekistics Seminar, Constantine Doxiadis <br> 1970 Certificate of Completion, “Computer Concepts”, Control Data Institute, Mpls. <br> After high school in 1949 he moved to Pittsburgh and attended day school at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh where he earned a Diploma in Illustration (1949). Here he learned the fundamentals of typography that led him to a greater appreciation of the art of the book and manuscripts. Planning to be both an illustrator and a writer. During his first year after art school a growing interest in spirituality and philosophy led Roman to Saint Vincent Archabbey located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. On his 21st birthday, in 1950, he entered a scholastic program that prepared him for a full commitment to monastic life. As a monk he pursued philosophical and theological studies that led to his ordination as a priest in 1959. Roman’s abbot sent him to NY for specialized study in 1960. He resided in mid-town Manhattan. The shock of this move from the peaceful solitude of the monastery in Western Pennsylvania wore off as Roman adapted his daily routine to the sound and tempo of city life. To round out his studies the Abbot sent Roman to Europe to broaden his studio work and to experience primary sites in the history of western art. In the late summer of 1963, Roman took up residence at the Centre Internationale Catholique, Cité Universitaire, Paris, where he maintained a modest studio in the church basement. Here he was introduced to an innovative spiritual community lead by Pére Rogues. This environment complemented his interest in automatic drawing as a procedure for investigating states of consciousness and spiritual experience. He also followed courses at the Louvre, worked at printmaking. During this very productive period Roman wrestled seriously with his inner beliefs and the experiences that had brought him into monastic life some years earlier. This struggle would lead him to leave his life in the monastery in 1968. This struggle can be seen in his Tennessee Notebook that was published by Jubilee Magazine in its 1968 April issue. By 1968 Roman's spiritual journey led him to question his own belief in revelation and church dogmas. No longer able to profess traditional beliefs he left life in the cloister and moved to Minnesota where he joined the faculty at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He taught world art history, maintained an active studio, and did research on the role of the artist in relation to changing social values and new technologies. At that time the new information technologies were undergoing enormous growth. Roman was keenly interested in the artist's role in the humanization of these technologies. == Generative Art Connections == During the 1980s, Verostko developed an interactive computer program called the Magic Hand of Chance. He went on to create his Hodos software, which controls a pen plotter that can also hold an oriental brush. Examples of his algorithmic work produced on a plotter include the Pathway series, the Pearl Park Scriptures, the Diamond Lake Apocalypse. With a personal computer driving a 14-pen plotter, Hodos makes paintings which have a family resemblance to my earlier work. An outside observer, without knowing the techniques employed, might view them as a natural evolution in the hand of the artist. The automated techniques are so transparent that the viewer sees the artist's handin individual lines and paint strokes Hodos, the title for the software, means 'path' or road in Greek. Note that Meta-hodos is the root for "method". The algorithms in Hodos describe "paths" which is the "method" for achieving the painting. Hodos as the "path" or the "way" is our Western equivalent of the Chinese term Dao (Tao), a key concept in ancient Chinese wisdom. In 2009 the ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement was presented to Roman Verostko for his seminal contributions to the creation and promotion of digital art. Fusing his knowledge of computer programming with a long engagement with diverse cultural and philosophical traditions, Roman developed a highly personal approach to using a pen plotter to layer elegant lines into astoundingly beautiful compositions. His work stands as a monument to the aesthetic power of algorithmic art, and continues to inspire artists to take charge of their own tools in exploring new media. == Generative Works == == Quotes and Bibliography == == External Links == [http://www.verostko.com/ artist's website] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SwNdJ0MVGM Plotter Video] [http://www.verostko.com/shows/n-spark/n-spark.html Plotter Video] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Poy7BX8JTCc&feature=related SIGGRAPH 2009 speech] [http://dam.org/artists/phase-one/roman-verostko other information about the artist] == Credits == This entry was written by Anahita Salimi

Return to Roman Verostko.