Generative Art Timeline · Chapter 4: Digital Era (1960s)
1967
Logo Language Developed

Designed by Wally Feurzeig, Seymour Papert and Cynthia Solomon, Logo was a general purpose programming language that was hugely important to the development of computer art. It’s main innovation for computer graphics was the concept of “turtle graphics,” allowing a programmer to manipulate the movement of a robotic turtle sitting on the floor. After being further developed at MIT in the 1970s, Logo would play an instrumental role in the development of generative art again in the 1980s as the language was taught in public schools, influencing a new generation of creative coders and artists, such as Casey Reas.
Text by Peter Bauman. Generative Art Timeline, Le Random, fact-checked September 2026.
Sources
People
Casey Reas, Cynthia Solomon, Seymour Papert, Wally Feurzeig
Movements
computer art, generative art
Filed under
- Ideas
- creative coding, education
- Technologies
- computer graphics, Logo, programming, turtle graphics
- People
- Casey Reas, Cynthia Solomon, Seymour Papert, Wally Feurzeig
- Organisations
- MIT
Related moments
Echoes across time
- 2007 · Casey Reas and Ben Fry Publish Processing Textbook
- 1999 · John Maeda publishes Design By Numbers
- 1985 · Mark Wilson Publishes Drawing with Computers
Le Random editorials
- Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 1, Peter Bauman, June 22, 2023
- Casey Reas, Lauren Lee McCarthy & Chandler McWilliams on Expanding Software, Peter Bauman, August 20, 2024
- Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 2, Peter Bauman, July 5, 2023
Le Random podcast
- Elevating the Generative Art Space (Launch Episode) with Casey Reas, ciphrd, Anne Spalter, Anika Meier & Georg Bak — listen with transcript on Le Random (28 Jun 2023, 52 min). Featuring Casey Reas. Apple Podcasts · Spotify
- Timeline Ch 8—Tooling Era (2000s) with Christiane Paul, Casey Reas, Christa Sommerer & Golan Levin — listen with transcript on Le Random (15 May 2024, 64 min). Featuring Casey Reas. Apple Podcasts · Spotify
- Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt I (1960s) with Dr A Michael Noll — listen with transcript on Le Random (07 Sep 2023, 60 min). Chapter 4’s episode. Apple Podcasts · Spotify
- Timeline Ch 4—Digital Era Pt II (1960s) with Michael Spalter — listen with transcript on Le Random (21 Sep 2023, 77 min). Chapter 4’s episode. Apple Podcasts · Spotify