Artwork
Portrait of Georges Brassens
Portrait of Georges Brassens is a print by Jaume Estapà. It dates from 1969 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
This is a portrait of French singer-songwriter Georges Brassens made entirely from computer characters.
This is a portrait of French singer-songwriter Georges Brassens made entirely from computer characters. Artist Jaume Estapà created it in 1969 as a print. It’s one of the first examples of ASCII art.
It uses just three symbols: M, O, and *. The artist layered them to build up shades of gray. Back then, early computers couldn’t print pictures, so people used characters to make images instead.
Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
This 1969 print is a portrait of French singer-songwriter Georges Brassens, created by artist Jaume Estapà using computer characters.
Technique & Style
The portrait is an early example of ASCII art, made using only the characters M, O, and *. Estapà layered these characters to achieve varying shades of gray, compensating for the limitations of early computer printers that couldn't produce graphical images.
History & Provenance
Produced using an early impact printer, likely a daisy wheel printer, this work reflects the technical constraints and characteristics of early computer printing, such as the striped pattern of the paper.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jaume Estapà made expressive prints of well-known faces in the late 1960s. His 1968 portrait of Catherine Sauvage catches the French singer’s sharp gaze, while his 1969 portrait of Serge Reggiani shows the actor’s quiet…
