Herbert W. Franke Publishes Computer Graphics—Computer Art

The tide was turning against computers and technology in art by 1971. Howard Wise had permanently closed. The same year one pioneer denounces the field and ends his practice in Frieder Nake, another doubles down, however, in Franke. A seminal text, Franke’s Computergraphik - Computerkunst (Computer Graphics—Computer Art) was the first comprehensive, first-hand account of computer art’s origins. The text covers the basics in the hardware, software, practice and history of the first decade of the movement. By highlighting the intersection of technology and art, the book played a pivotal role in shaping the discourse around generative art and establishing its significance as a distinct and innovative form of artistic practice. The book also helped maintain and spark additional interest in computers in art when they were rapidly becoming less fashionable. The veneer of optimism from the late ’60s and early ’70s had peaked. During, one of computer art’s first, dark periods, Franke was the light that held it together with this text.