Generative Art Timeline · Chapter 5: Artist-Programmer Era (1970s)

1973

1024 Colours by Gerhard Richter

Artwork

1024 Colours by Gerhard Richter
Oliver Smith. Flickr. “Richter - 1024 Colours.” 2013. flickr.com

Inspired by hardware store paint color charts, this painting’s composition was determined by a randomly generated algorithm. This piece is part of a series started by Richter in the 1960s. They are related to the color collage work of Ellsworth Kelly, which Richter was unaware of at the time. Richter and Kelly’s algorithmic explorations of color and form stand as critical examples of material generative art’s importance and rich history.

Text by Peter Bauman. Generative Art Timeline, Le Random, fact-checked September 2026.

Sources

People

Ellsworth Kelly, Gerhard Richter

Movements

generative art, Material Generative Art

Filed under

Ideas
color, generative art, Material Generative Art, painting, randomness
Technologies
algorithms
People
Ellsworth Kelly, Gerhard Richter
Works
1024 Colours

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