“Technology is The Mortal Enemy of Art” (Rodchenko, Stapanova and Aleksei Gan, 1922)

Technology is not necessarily the enemy of art.

Technology allows us to share art and make it quicker, while opening a whole new world of processes. In terms of illustration, there are processes only provided by technology such as vector images and image manipulation, and these look much more refined and ‘clean’ compared to its traditional counterparts. But because of this, it may feel like less meaning goes into the art, though this is rarely the case.

However, people may not want to have the refined and ‘clean’ work which is gained in digital work, and would opt for traditional. Traditional methods give a much more natural texture, from the grit of the paper itself and the way the artist would physically apply media, which can outweigh the false effects digital applications have. The handmade aspect to a piece of work is something everyone can appreciate.

Overall, I feel as though technology is a utility to art and does not work against it, but with it. Even though technology is prevalent, traditional methods still exist and hold their charm, perhaps even more than they ever have, against the background of digitally produced illustration. As Paula Scher said (Netflix, 2017), ‘Design exists beyond screens, it has an impact on real life.’ Where art is made does not define it, the impact it has is more important.