Artwork
Untitled
Untitled is a drawing by Harold Cohen. It dates from 1969 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Harold Cohen made this drawing in 1969. It’s a hand-colored print that looks like a contour map. Cohen had been painting for years before he tried computers.
He started programming after moving to California in 1968. This piece shows his first experiments with code and drawing side by side.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum for more of his early computer art.
Overview
Untitled is a 1969 hand-colored drawing on a computer printout by Harold Cohen, blending traditional medium with early computer-generated elements.
Subject & Meaning
The work resembles a contour map, symbolizing Cohen's inaugural exploration of combining manual artistic techniques with computational methods.
Technique & Style
Cohen layered hand-coloring over a computer printout, juxtaposing analog and digital processes in an innovative, hybrid approach.
History & Provenance
Created during Cohen's 1968-1969 tenure as a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego, where he was first introduced to computer programming.
Context
Part of Cohen's early computer art experiments, with similar works held by the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Artist & collection
Artist
Harold Cohen was a British-born artist who was noted as the creator of AARON, a computer program designed to produce paintings and drawings autonomously, which set it apart from previous programs.
