Customer Reviews

The Computer in the Visual Arts

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Undoubtedly the most comprehensive, thought-provoking treatise on this important subject.

The accompanying web page is terrific!

I had read about this book in USA Today online and heard from a number of people I respect about it. Everyone kept telling me I had to buy it. I finally finished reading it and felt compelled to post what a wonderful experience it was to add The Computer in the Visual Arts to my library.

The concepts are illustrated and written in a way that artists can understand and enjoy (how refreshing!). Subjects that I had difficulty in comprehending such as the difference between screen pixels and image pixels are now clear to me. While some may consider a minor point, it is amazing to me how much more I am able to enjoy creating images with this new found knowledge.

I was also delighted to see so many outstanding examples of art work. The color plates were particularly gratifying. If this book has a second printing I would urge the publisher to have more color images. The range and diversity of the chapters was a real plus for me and gave me a "big picture" that I have never grasped before.

In her book "The Computer in the Visual Arts", Anne Morgan filled the gap between computer concept and art concept for those who want to use computer in visual arts or miss the computer graphic concepts, while being more concern in learning tools and graphic software.

This book takes you through the history of graphic design and how the new technology comes to life with new concepts in all the computer graphic fields; like printing, 2D and 3D graphics, and how these concepts are related to develop the computer hardware and tools.

The title is accurate in delivering the idea included in the book. I find "The Computer in the Visual Arts" useful for beginner and advanced users of the computer graphics either for the visual arts or the commercial proposes.

The "The Computer in the Visual Art" book consists of 12 chapters. Anne started her book with a brief history of the computer art in the first chapter and concerned in chapters 2 and 4 with the 2D graphics, while the 3rd chapter was about the computer hardware used in the computer graphics. The color concepts are covered in 5th chapter and the concepts of the printing are described in the 6th chapter.

The 3D concepts are described in the 7th, 8th and 9th chapters, the video concepts are described in the 10th chapter and the multimedia and interactivity are covered in chapter 11. Anne did not miss to mention some of the general concepts of the web in chapter 12.
In the end of the book, Anne included a conclusion and two appendixes about the modern art periods and computer theory.

Also, Anne included a very useful illustration to describe computer concepts. Moreover, she comprised an interesting gallery of computer graphics samples.

Although it is hard to include all the concepts of the fields mentioned in this book, Anne described some important concepts in each field in a simple way, which pushes me to think of reading more of her books.

For me as a graphic designer, I did not find the chance to go that much deeper in the computer graphic concepts, while being more concern in learning tools and graphic software. And when I wanted to know more about the computer concepts, I did not find many books concern about this issue, till I got this book, which was a good opportunity to fill what I miss in the computer graphic concept with the interesting way Anne used.

So, if you are a beginner in computer graphic field and got this book, then it is a good chance for you to know a general knowledge about the different computer concepts in many fields.

Oustanding! Anne Morgan Spalter has done an outstanding job in explaining and helping to define the Computer in the Visual Arts. Spalter has helped to magnficently define this emerging field through her thoughtful, easy-to-read prose. As an art history buff, I believe that this tome will become a timeless classic. The Computer in the Visual Arts helps legitimize thousands of computer artists throughout the world.

The images and artists represented throughtout the book are fascinating and stunning to view. The painstaking diagrams and illustrations are outstanding references that easily explain a number of complex concepts.

I hope many will refer this book to the uninitiated art enthusiast who hopes to learn more about the dramatic role the computer plays in the visual arts.

This is a wonderful book and long overdue in the computer art community. The author deftly weaves together both descriptions of historic as well as contemporary art done with computer technology along with the concepts that underlie that technology in a complete yet very understandable way. In addition there are lots of suggestions of where to go to find more detailed information on all the topics covered. For the aspiring student the author has included valuable exercises to reinforce the material covered in each chapter. This book is definitely the "Foley and van Dam" (long the computer graphics 'bible' of the technical set) for the artistic aficionados of computer graphics! And, by the way, even the technical folks should enjoy this work!

This review is my first in hundreds of AMAZON purchases. Anne Morgan Spalter's The Computer in the Visual Arts is not only a tremendous achievement for the academic environment but also a brilliant introduction for the general population. This book is lavishly produced with both insightful writing and beautiful illustrations. I wish all of my textbooks were as rewarding and as fun to read. Kudos. Five-stars and two thumbs up. What is your nex topic?

>Even though I have been using Computers as my medium for thirty odd years >I find >Anne Spalter's "The Computer in the Visual Arts" filled with gems >concerning technique >and theory. Lillian Schwartz, co-author with Laurens R. Schwartz The Computer >Artist's Handbook, W.W. Norton, Inc. 199

My eyes usually glaze over instantly when I try to read anything, I mean anything, about computers by computer people. Anne Spalter's book actually gets me excited about the computer as a new medium. She presents information to those of us who want to make our own images. I have only been using a color scanner and printer for six months and every time I've looked for information I only found programs full of premade images and how to access them- until now. Thanks.

As an art history major and computer enthusiast I am thrilled to see that a work of this caliber has finally been written on this important emerging field. Computers and the arts undoubtedly will be the next milestone in the history of human creativity. After reading this beautifully written text I am convinced more than ever that a revolution is underway in the arts.

The author deserves tremendous praise! Bravo.

Reading all the customer comments and advance praise for this book, I was very excited and really looking forward to receiving it. But I found it a realletdown on several fronts.

First is simply the book itself. The publisher, Addison Wesley, should be ashamed of itself for using such a cheap paper in a hardcover. The stock is so thin and the "see-through" so great that reading it is a chore; this is an inexcusable corner to have cut. And the book design is just bad (other than the cover); the titling font looks like it came from a clip-art CD.

But these are quibbles with the physical object. In my view, the book tries to cover too much ground, and every concept is reduced to one paragraph, maybe two. And it is, above all, a textbook, which a didactic tone and vague "Exercises" at the end of each chapter.

I hoped for a discussion of some of the broader conceptual issues involved in the use of computers in art and architecture, which the blurbs led me to think were here. Sadly, that book still needs to be written.

Meanwhile, I returned this one for a refund.