Art has existed for as long as anyone can remember. It has evolved from the beginning of human life. Art has always been a part of many people's lives, spreading emotion and inspiration. It's difficult to imagine life without art; it's like walking around blindfolded. Life would be very different if art did not exist. There would be no architecture, vivid images or billboards, and individual style in our daily lives. From prehistoric times to the present, art has evolved faster than people can comprehend. Art has progressed from almost nothing to many forms and has become bigger and better. 

What is digital art?

How artists exhibit their works varies significantly. Digital art, or the use of digital technology is one of the most recent trends. This medium has been around since the 1970s as technology advanced and artistic alternatives broadened, growing in popularity through digital art, such as 3D virtual reality (VR) or computer graphic approaches. In essence, it's a novel instrument that will meet several artistic requirements by helping artists push the boundaries of imagination and creativity.

Art created with or displayed using digital technology is termed DIGITAL ART. These include artwork created entirely on a computer and hand-drawn artwork scanned into a computer and polished using a tool like Adobe Illustrator. Digital arts are also animation and 3D virtual sculpting representations.

Buffet by @artofoda from the Inked-collection

A brief history of digital art

Digital art just could not have existed without computers. These pioneering machines laid the groundwork for modern types of machinery. Artists began exploring the idea of employing computers and related technologies to make art in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Around 1965, the first experiments with computer art began. Frieder Nake (1938-present), a German artist and mathematician, developed a computer algorithm that allowed the machine to draw a series of shapes to create artwork. The resulting computer-generated drawings were among the first examples of computer art.

Advancement of digital art

In the late 1960s, some artists started employing computers, television, video, and other devices to explore digital technology in multimedia art.

In collaboration with a Boston TV station, artist Allan Kaprow, known for his "happenings" — art events that involved audience participation and elements of chance — created a piece titled "Hello" in 1969. He employed cameras and sound devices to facilitate conversation among the participants in the many sites throughout the city where the show was centered. Kaprow would switch on and off from the station's control room, controlling who could talk to whom at any given moment. It was a pioneering piece of art that incorporated television technology.

Types of digital art

As technology advances, new types of digital art emerge; 2D Computer Graphics, Digital Photography, Pixel Art, 2D, and 3D Digital Painting are types of digital art. Looking for a particular type of digital art on enter.art? Check out the gallery, where you can search for any tag you want and find exactly what you're looking for!

Importance of art to humans

• Art is a mystery that each person decodes differently. Art is an expression that is both hidden and revealed. People can peel back as many layers as they want.
• Art helps to keep our minds in check by introducing some amusing mystery and uncertainty. It allows us to see and think beyond our imagination without fear.
• Art gives us meaning while helping us comprehend our surroundings, improves our quality of life, and makes us feel good. 
• When we make art, we improve our mood, improve our problem-solving abilities, and broaden our horizons.
  

A new style of creation

Digital art also refers to new art experiences, such as exhibitions, plays, ballets, and operas; the medium utilized to create these experiences is virtual reality. These days, we can be on a couch in a living room watching a Van Gogh painting or listening to a Vivaldi symphony at the Fenice in Venice. Many museums are seeking to embrace this technological revolution by digitizing their archives and collection in 3D as a new, successful marketing tool. Any customer who has access to an internet connection will be able to access their collection. That entails being able to appreciate a close-up glimpse of the Mona Lisa without being harassed by other tourists or closely scrutinizing the Michelangelo sculpture David.

A new way to promote and sell art

The procedure of buying an artwork has become more widely available because of the development of digital technology, which was formerly restricted to frequent buyers at auction houses. The laws of supply and demand are being altered by the emergence of online marketplaces that sell paintings and sketches at reasonable prices. Numerous monitoring programs and an online market that handles all aspects of the purchasing and marketing processes are now available to thousands of undiscovered artists.

Recent sales on enter.art - NFTs by @Roger_Cadiz, @Chocking_crypto and @Sheep

The future of digital art

The development of digital art has had an enormous impact on conventional art, but is also criticized. Many critics and curators refuse to accept the artistry of those who create digital art because they believe that technologies create digital artworks. However, like much other art in the past, the widespread adoption of digital art is inevitable. The future of digital art has many reasons for optimism. Firstly is the transformation of digital art in the film industry by digital instruments. Second, digital illustrations and portraits are starting to get accepted by museums worldwide. Finally, just like fashion or interior design, digital artworks are now an essential component of daily life.

In 2021, we saw everyone from fast-food chains like Taco Bell, to tech titans like Jack Dorsey and musicians like Kings of Leon and Grimes engage in the NFT market. 

Honu Aloha by original Disney artist @Mulligan, exclusively minted on enter.art

The digital artwork innovation has introduced new artists to the art market while increasing buyer speculative interest. With a few mouse clicks, anyone can own a one-of-a-kind or limited edition NFT art piece. NFTs are collectibles that are bought, sold, tracked, and authenticated. 

An NFT connects a digital work to a token that the artist can access via an encrypted artwork platform. For example, digital artists can sell a single (or limited-edition) offering by issuing a fixed number of tokens to ensure the scarcity that investors demand. 

Digital assets, which are available in constrained numbers and are monitored on the blockchain, make ownership public and verifiable for the first time in history. Particularly decentralized digital ledgers known as "blockchains" maintain an ongoing record of transactions and can be used to prove the provenance and authenticity of digital artworks.

Using the central component that already exists on the open blockchain; artists can develop new kinds of NFTs. Because NFTs are adaptable, artists can create new products and diversify their funding sources. Moreso, NFT technology makes it easier to experience and distribute priceless work more fairly. For instance, murals made by street and graffiti artists may incorporate image recognition technology. 

A new dimension of digital art

To create, advertise, and sell digital art, all that is required is a computer connected to the internet. An artist can create a piece using design software such as Photoshop, advertise it on social media, and then sell it online. Digital art does, however, have one significant drawback: most software is reproducible and does not support the creation of unique digital items. An artist who wants to create a unique digital piece would put their work on a blockchain.  In "The Future of NFTs — Animated GIFs, Animated Art, and Interactivity?" & "Traditional artist's crash course for NFT creation", the fantastic NFT artist Andalee Hyatt takes us through the hoops of creating digital art as a traditional artist. 

Work in progress before digital enhancement by Andalee Hyatt aka Thelastpigment

Benefits of digital art on a blockchain

"Digital art has become rare, thanks to blockchain technology, commonly referred to as distributed ledger technology." - Phillip Nunn comments on what he believes; That Blockchain technology will transform more than just the financial sector.

Other advantages of blockchains for art include:

• Artists can include code in their digital work to indicate the number of copies. They can make their art "one of one," "one of 100," "open for unlimited copies," or whatever they want. As a buyer of digital art, you can examine the code to see what the artist has permitted. 
• Instead of setting up an online store and integrating a payment processor like Stripe, a blockchain platform like Ethereum already has commerce built in. BNB is the cryptocurrency used to power the Binance platform. An artist can create artwork on the Binance blockchain and sell it for BNB, the native currency of Binance.
• Usually, an artist does not get commissions from subsequent sales after selling their original physical item. The creator can incorporate code directly into the piece if the artwork is produced on a blockchain, allowing them to receive a small portion of the commission of any subsequent sales. 
• Knowing the authenticity of an artwork is extremely important and can have a significant impact on its value. Blockchain records the time and date an artist creates his art and trades it. Traditional physical artwork makes it nearly impossible to determine these details. 
• Users can truly own their digital assets, thanks to blockchains. The creator or developer of a regular digital item has the legal right to delete it at any time. 
  
  

 Conclusion

Digital art is evolving quickly; a new approach to promoting, selling, and creating is rapidly emerging. It brings an opportunity for the next generation to use their knowledge of digital tools to deepen their interest in art and enrich their artistic emotions and experiences. 

This article is written by Rukky Faith as a part of enter.blog's bounty program. Do you have an interesting topic, series or subject you think would be fitting for enter.blog? 

You can now submit your articles to enter.blog and get paid for your contributions!
Read more and submit your article here.