Art & technology are not oil & water

Pablo Picasso is disappointed in us art teachers. He loved inventing new ways of depicting his subject. Take this painting (Jug, Candle, and Enamel Pan — 1945) for instance:

Jug, candle and enamel pan, 1945 — Pablo Picasso

If the perspective looks a little wonky to you, no worries. It should. Picasso painted objects from multiple angles at once — hence, inventing a new way of arting. (Note: “arting” is not a real word, but you understand). The “normal” way one would paint both the front and back of a jug would be to create two paintings: one of the lit side, one of the shadowed side. You can’t see the front and back at once, right? Without a mirror, anyway. Picasso viewed the jug from all angles, painting what he wanted to show. So ya, it looks a bit wonky — but kind of cool, right?

So why is he disappointed in art teachers? We’re not inventing anymore.

We are teaching the “normal” way of creating art in the classroom; the “traditional” way. I believe Picasso would ask, “Why are you still using graphite and charcoal when so many amazing and inventive technologies exist? Weirdo…” Or something like that.

Students need the flexibility and invitation to make art that aligns with present technology, instead of pretending technology doesn’t exist in the art classroom.

The truth is, if we continue to tell students to the draw light and shadows of random shapes using charcoal, the art has no meaning. Students don’t care. That’s behaviorism, friends. But if we open learning to combine art with technology, we can use a constructivist approach where students get to experience real-life skills and intrinsic motivation. Wow, meaningful!

Let’s look at an example of what this could mean. Below is a digital painting I did using a tablet connected to my computer. Digital painting is one way students can explore art and technology.

Let’s take it one step farther. Below is a screenshot taken from an animated story I created, using cacti from the photo above (you can view this animation here). On the left is block-coding, on the right is custom artwork and animation.

What if we art teachers let students accomplish their assignments using code instead of charcoal? What if we told students they could experiment with technology in ways that would be meaningful and productive for their real-world goals? That would be just as inventive as Picasso drawing at multiple angles at once. He would be proud of you.

Art can be mixed with more than coding; there are thousands, if not millions, of ways to incorporate technology into visual art. They are not oil and water. In fact, mixing art and technology can create some pretty cool outcomes. Now go forth, let your students invent new ways of artistic expression and meaning making, and make Picasso proud.