Electronic Painting

by Jack Le Moine
Must chemistry be the only delivery media for paintings? Since the beginnings of civilization humanity has hung artwork on walls of homes, businesses, galleries, and public places. Artists mixed different resins with chemicals with organics and whatever other stuff goes into the paints that get put onto walls, clays, stones, woods, canvases and whatever other stuff paints are applied to and that is the fine art of painting. Whew!

What do people buy when they buy a painting? The canvas, the paints applied thereto, and the wood frame around it, of course but are the materials the main part of the sales price of art? People buy the artist’s conception and execution and, let’s face it, into the artist’s reputation. Look, I own a Renoir!

The author with his flat screen.
CC BY-SA 3.0 image by Jack Le Moine, CPA.

So, what if the delivery media for paintings were electronic instead of chemical? The major advantage of an electronic painting over an old-fashioned chemical one is that the electronic painting can show movement. The chief disadvantage will be energy consumption.

If the future of paintings is electronic, then landscapes can show trees swaying in the wind, ocean waves washing upon the beach, or clouds wafting over a meadow. The painting would be like a movie but with important differences:

• Length - since they are not intended to be viewed at one sitting, an electronic painting could last many hours of screen time.
• Activity – camera cuts can be few or even non-existent.
• Subject – no story, no movie stars; most paintings and prints are landscapes. An electronic painting can consist of a camera pan of a meadow with a gurgling brook over a 24 hour period.
• Activation – motion sensors could detect presence and turn the painting on and off for energy conservation.
• Sound – soft background music can be turned on or off at the viewer’s choice. The silent era of movies may be due for a comeback.

The delivery devices will need to be plugged into a power source. Installers can run wires behind walls. To keep costs down the manufacturers should resist the urge to add features. These are the future version of canvases for paintings, not flat screen tv’s. Features should be limited to serving just that purpose.

Like chemistry based paintings, the electronic bases paintings of the future will be sold on the basis of the artwork incorporated on it rather than the canvas or the display device. An usb port would allow new art to be downloaded onto the device.

The biggest benefit of the electronic paintings of the future will be the great artwork that will be available to the masses.