AI + Art = Signs of the Time

Where does the gee whiz-factor of science end, and the wow-factor of art begin?

 In 1947, Popular Science magazine suggested using television testing equipment to create "simple decorative patterns". That may sound odd, but sci-fi was all the rage back then, so out when the challenge and up stepped Ben Laposky. 

A mild-mannered sign painter, Laposky dabbled in math and made art as a hobby. Notably, he liked the geometric abstractions of the early modernists who claimed their artful compositions expressed "rational spirituality.” To see if electrons possessed the same artistic merit, Laposky bought a cathode ray oscilloscope with a sine wave generator and began experimenting.

Though he'd studied art, Laposky struggled with the unfamiliar machine aesthetic. He raised questions that digital artists are still grappling with today, such as where does the gee whiz-factor of science end and the wow-factor of art begin. Like a portrait painter, he wanted to express his own style without losing the subject's essence.  

Using a high-speed camera and shooting over time with color filters, Laposky managed to photograph the flickering electrons. At first sight, he knew the pale photos were more than decorative patterns. He described them as "a marvel of science and a thing of beauty...a kind of visual music." He called his creations Oscillons.  

Oscillon # 3

Believing his work expanded on modernist theories and even verified their beliefs; Laposky contacted the curators of the Sanford Museum in his hometown Cherokee, Iowa, and proposed a show. The museum agreed and they produced "Electronic Abstractions”.  The exhibition featured his photographs, kinetic oscilloscope displays, and lightboxes. 

A photograph of the Electronic Abstractions exhibition

The exhibit was a hit, and it went on to tour 200-plus venues across the globe from 1953 to 1961. Laposky's pictures of subatomic particles in action captured the public's fascination with the atomic age, and Fred Camper, a writer for The Chicago Reader, summed up the general consensus in his popular column.

 "The Oscillons are among the most sensually and spiritually exhilarating images of the entire history of human vision...The rhythm and balance in each piece reflect the artist's vision and the ordered principles underlying the physical world." 

Electronic # 2, Electronic Abstraction # 4, Oscillon # 45

Laposky believed his Oscillons had expanded the scope of art, just as the modernists had with their innovative abstract paintings. The leading American art critics disagreed. They dismissed Laposky, calling him an entertainer. They said his pictures were devoid of emotion; and called the work "gimmicky." 

Then, around 1959, better-known "fine artists" began using a computer at Bell Lab's as an art-making tool. The Museum of Modern Art in New York quickly curated an exhibition that featured some of their pieces. The public liked it, but again, the art critics hated it. They said “computer art” was a creative dead-end, and this time Laposky agreed. In 1961, he closed the tour and stopped making Oscillons. He went on to excel as a graphic designer and continued to study math and science, but his art career was over. Fortunately, The Sanford Museum stepped up and now house most of his archive. 

Photos above: Oscillon # 1049, Oscillon # 20, Oscillon # 2,

Laposky was trained to work with traditional art media, but it took an osculator to bring his creative contribution to life. And that's a key point: new tools invite artists to express themselves in new ways and explore new subjects. Laposky understood that, but he was ahead of his time. Only now is the relevance of technology-based tools being valued alongside traditional medium as a means to explore the information age.

Oscillon # 40

The art created for the "Electronic Abstractions" show is part of the permanent collection of the Sanford Museum in Cherokee, Iowa. https://sanfordmuseum.org

For more information, contact Linda Burkhart at director@sanfordmuseum.org