Read me last

Techno-Impressionism
by
Tony Karp

 

"Techno-Impressionism" is a new type of artwork -- it's actually an entire art movement.

Techno-Impressionism is a full service, self-contained, twenty-four-hour-a-day art movement that has everything an art movement requires.

Techno-Impressionism contains:

An art movement

Artists

Works by the artists

Art critics and art historians

Art criticism

Art History

Quotes from the artists

Literature

Fables

Humor

Philosophy

Structure and architecture

A museum in which to exhibit the artists' works

Public relations and advertising

Press releases and descriptive material

Access methods

Tools

Techno-Impressionism is actually a large system -- a combination of a number of different media, some old, some new, some right-brained, and some left-brained.

 
Natural media art
Real media
Computer simulation of real media

Photography
Creative writing
Technology
Computer
Network and connectivity

Systems design
Analysis
Architecture
Interface design


Although it involves a number of different media, it is not "multimedia."



Some other qualities that make Techno-Impressionism unique:

This is a continuously changing artwork.

This artwork can be viewed from anywhere in the world.

This artwork can be viewed at any time.

No one was killed in building this artwork.

Although human beings were used for testing this artwork, none were harmed.

Techno-Impressionism is an "auteur" work in which the artist has been responsible for all aspects of the realization.

There is no doubt that this is a successful work of art. Techno-Impressionism has won approval from both the critics and the general public.

By securing the domain name techno-impressionist.com, Techno-Impressionist becomes the first art movement to have its own Internet domain.

"Congratulations. I think you've definitely secured a well deserved place in the annals of art history. From this point forward a domain name will be part of the essential certification requirements for any art movement worth its salt."

Jerry Reilly, Museum Of Bad Art
"All art starts with bad art"


We will be publishing an architectural diagram showing the design and structure of the system that is the artwork known as "Techno-Impressionism."




A brief description of Techno-Impressionism

Techno-Impressionism is a new art movement. The artists are imaginary, but the art is real.

In many ways, Techno-Impressionism is like Bourbaki, a group of French mathematicians who wrote under this pseudonym and published some important works that changed the way math is done.

The Techno-Impressionist art movement, which began in the last decade of the Twentieth Century, appeared to contradict the popular art movements of the time.

For some, it was similar to the break from tradition that marked the first Impressionist movement of the 19th Century. (Some have referred to the Techno-Impressionist artists as "Second Impressionists." Others have referred to them as "Twentieth Century Impressionists.")

The Techno-Impressionist artists were known for their interchangeable use of traditional media, and of computer-based tools that behaved like real media. Although they used computers, they did not fall prey to the lure of the technical and become "computer artists" or "digital artists."

The Techno-Impressionist artists pursued the traditional themes of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist periods.

Here are the Artists who started the Techno-Impressionist movement:

Vincent van Gui is the wild one. Never sure of what he will say next.

Henri de Toulouse-LaTech talks about art-technology issues.

Pablo PigCasso is the aesthetics expert.

Andrew Lloyd Webmaster is the ever-hopeful theatrical producer.

L' Architecte Karp, who's been around too long. But he started late, like Le Douanier Rousseau.

Some newer members of the group:

Theo van Gui - Vincent's partner and representative

Art Speaker - art critic - writes for Cutting Edge Art in America

Art T. Fact - art historian and author of "When bad art happens to good people" and "Jasper ain't the only Johns," a critical analysis of the plumbing in the Louvre

Jasper Junk - expert in recycled art

Willem de Cunning - expert in art investment

Ascii Warhaul - ASCII art specialist

John "Razorblade" McGurk - performance artist ("No pain, no art.") The first artist to die for his art - on purpose

Salvatore Deli, who started out wrapping fish, but whose goal it is to wrap larger and larger sea creatures.

Ghostabi - a contemporary artist who outsources his work

Hieronymous Anonymous - also known as Deep Thought

Blasto - an artist specializing in deconstruction

Charles Artless - Ego builder and personal(ity) trainer for artists with small egos

Shaka D'Nu - Not a person, but a role. Assumed by a number of late 20th Century artists

Tiara Mi Sue - Digital Diva and Cholesterol-free Performance Artist

The Techno-Impressionists opened their first gallery on the World Wide Web. It was an experiment in new ways of displaying art. They realized that "Internet Art" -- which required both good art, and a gallery that displayed it properly -- was an art form in itself.

The simple design of the gallery made it easy to add new exhibits and update the current ones.

The Techno-Impressionist gallery had a number of innovations. In some ways, it resembled a salon. Like the Impressionists who had ties to writers such as Zola, the Techno-Impressionists had strong ties to the authors of their day. The works of these authors appeared in the gallery along with the images created by the artists.

One of these works was a true history of art in the 21st century. Another was a poem called "Kissing God."

The Techno-Impressionist artists became well known for their quotes, mostly about art. Collections of these quotes were featured at the gallery.

As a result of its simple design, the Techno-Impressionist gallery was able to grow quite large in size and soon became one of the largest art sites on the Internet. Like the Metropolitan or the Louvre, it was too large to see at a single visit.

The curator of the Techno-Impressionist gallery came up with many innovative ideas such as "virtual exhibits." In these, the same pictures could be viewed in a number of different ways -- by subject, technique, period, etc. A later innovation would actually generate a virtual gallery tour to fit the requirements of each visitor.



Some quotes from the artists:

"Wanna see my impression of Gauguin?"
> Vincent van Gui,
- not yet clear on the concept of Impressionism

"If Vincent van Gogh had had a telephone we would not, today, have Vincent's letters to Theo. We would have Van Gogh's phone bills."
> Henri de Toulouse-LaTech

"Art without craft is worthless."
> Henri de Toulouse-LaTech

"It's not art if the same work could have been produced by vandalism."
> Pablo PigCasso

"In the 20th Century, artists, for the first time, could become rich and famous while they were still alive."
> Jasper Junk

"Buying a Warhol painting is like buying Microsoft stock. You don't particularly like it, but it's a good investment."
> Willem de Cunning

"I'm downsizing my studio and outsourcing my painting."
> Ghostabi

"Take the Monet and run."
> Vincent van Gui

"It's not art if someone has to explain it to you."
> Pablo PigCasso

"My latest work, 'Noodle Descending a Staircase', gives new meaning to the phrase 'Feast your eyes.' "
> Tiara Mi Sue

"Stay off the critical path. You might run into a critic."
> Vincent van Gui

"Before you attempt to push the envelope, make sure you can afford the postage."
> Henri de Toulouse-LaTech

"Okay, so he gets tired of hanging around Paris painting ballet dancers. So he moves to America and heads out west to paint chorus girls."
> Andrew Lloyd Webmaster,
- on the plot for his new musical, "Degas in Vegas"

"The journey of a thousand miles ends with but a single step."
> L' Architecte Karp



Some further clarification

The whole Techno-Impressionist movement is the artwork.

In some ways, an art movement is the ultimate artwork. Especially if it's self-contained, full service, 24 hour, world wide, and coast to coast.

Techno-Impressionism (the artwork) includes the web site/gallery, plus all the artists, their work, their words, etc.

It provides its own art criticism, art history, and press releases.

Twenty-five years ago, this would have been implemented in a real, physical gallery. The web just makes it easier, but the idea of a self-contained art movement is not a technology-based idea.

It's just a new arrangement of existing things.

"Real magic is creating life from common household objects."
> Le Architecte Karp



How to contact the artists

The Techno-Impressionist artists have their own web site and Internet domain.

The domain is -- techno-impressionist.com

The web site is at -- http://www.techno-impressionist.com




Last modified July 1,2002