Generative Art Timeline · Chapter 6: Personal Computer Era (1980s)
1989
Roman Verostko, Carnival, Pathway Series

Carnival, an exquisite work from Verostko’s Pathway Series, represents a five-decade exploration of unseen worlds. Verostko pioneers the convergence of software form-generators and fine-arts practice, rooted in the legacy of early twentieth-century abstraction. He creates visual worlds by combining computational precision with artistic contemplation using BASIC and DM/PL, Houston Instrument’s Digital Microprocessor Plotting Language. A “fine art form generator,” as Verostko referred to his algorithms, serves as a biological genotype in his methodology, encoding the information for form generation. Verostko’s works, created with a multipen plotter, reveal a meticulous dance of thousands of lines, with each pen change and occasional brush stroke orchestrated by software. As Verostko’s art transcends intentional representation, titles are arbitrary, reminiscent of labeling flowers. Instead, he intends for each piece to unfold as a unique journey into uncharted territories. These visual manifestations honor the dynamic processes that underpin their creation, inviting viewers to savor the mystery of coded procedures that result in unexpected grace and beauty.
Text by Peter Bauman. Generative Art Timeline, Le Random.
Sources
People
Movements
computer art
Filed under
- Ideas
- abstraction, Algorithmic Art, generative systems, mark making, plotting, process
- Technologies
- algorithms, BASIC, computer art, DM/PL, Houston Instruments plotter, plotter, Plotter Art
- People
- Roman Verostko
- Works
- Carnival, Pathway Series
- Exhibitions
- Coded: Art Enters the Computer Age, 1952–1982
- Organisations
- Houston Instrument
- Places
- Houston
Echoes across time
- 2004 · Twenty-Six Visions of Hildegarde by Roman Verostko
- 1964 · 23-Ecke by Georg Nees
- 1967–68 · Running Cola is Africa by Computer Technique Group (CTG)
Le Random editorials
- Mat Dryhurst on Becoming Infinite, Peter Bauman, October 24, 2024
- Christiane Paul on Curating Cohen’s AARON, Peter Bauman, January 29, 2024
- Zach Lieberman on the Resonance of Generative Art, Peter Bauman, August 2, 2023
- Casey Reas on the History of Generative Art - Part 2, Peter Bauman, July 5, 2023
Le Random podcast
- Digital Curators Series 02—Regina Harsanyi & Jon Ippolito on Preserving the Digital — listen with transcript on Le Random (04 Nov 2024, 79 min). Transcript mentions Roman Verostko. Apple Podcasts · Spotify
- Discussing Digital Art in 1Q 2025 — listen with transcript on Le Random (01 Apr 2025, 79 min). Transcript mentions Roman Verostko. Apple Podcasts · Spotify
- Recapping Digital Art in 2Q 2025 — listen with transcript on Le Random (29 Jun 2025, 56 min). Transcript mentions Roman Verostko. Apple Podcasts · Spotify
- Timeline Ch 6—Personal Computer Era (1980s) with Mark Wilson, Copper Giloth, Dan Sandin, David Em, William Latham, Stephen Todd, Darcy Gerbarg & Geoff Davis — listen with transcript on Le Random (08 Feb 2024, 85 min). Chapter 6’s episode. Apple Podcasts · Spotify