In Beverly Jones’ article: Computer Graphics: Effects of Origins she discusses how technology has become an art or technology has at least adopted past art forms to create a fusion of old and new. Her thesis is: “it is a premise of this paper that old cultural patterns do not die. They may fade or become more evident; that is they may be deemphasized or emphasized” (Jones 51). What Jones is saying is that the new takes from the old in an ever-evolving process. It might get to the point at which you can’t clearly see the original inspiration or thought (or art form) that created the new, but the old will still be there. Her premise is basically that “new” things are usually based off of older things. She supports her assertion with a few examples from history: “The stone columns of ancient Egyptian architecture were based on earlier bound papyrus columns. Early-oil paintings-were similar in technique to egg tempura paintings and did not take advantage of oil’s mixing properties, slower drying: and resultant appearance of softer edges. Early mass-produced furniture imitated handcrafted furniture in form and applied ornamentation” (Jones 51). Basically in a world with ever-growing technology and innovations we still borrow from the past. Even when a new technology first comes around, like oil paintings, we may not at first use them to their full advantages because we are used to the old form of art and so look at it from that perspective. In today’s culture new things are forever taking from the old. Movies are continuously being rehashed, remade, or simply parallel an existing movie. Avatar was Pocahontas with better graphics and better technological innovation but in its barebones it was the same thing. “Paint” on Microsoft computers allows you to use different brushes and strokes to create digital artwork but there is no necessity for the applicators to be called paintbrushes because it isn’t real painting but it borrows this terminology from the old to give the new meaning. These days “new” ideas all come from older ones. The ‘wheel’ will forever be being improved upon but it will still in essence be a wheel.
Art, Games, and Technology Research
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After reading this article I took away the same message and thesis that you did. I was fascinated to realize the she is in fact right I just never have thought about it like that. I liked the example you gave comparing Avatar to Pocahontas because I feel like it pretty much supports the point that Jones makes to a tee. At first I had a hard time when writing my research post to think of an example that supports Jones thesis, but after reading your the example you provided the thoughts just started flowing in. For example, along with movies borrowing from the past so does music and fashion. I feel like a common theme in the hip-hop industry is for artists to put out new songs over old beats. Also I feel like people keep trying to make old clothing styles popular again such as “hipsters”.