Artwork
Visions of Hildegarde, M.
Visions of Hildegarde, M. is a drawing by Roman Verostko. It dates from 1990 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
He developed his own software for a pen plotter to generate detailed drawings.
This is a drawing titled Visions of Hildegarde, M. It was created by Roman Verostko in 1990.
The artist used a unique process to create this work. He developed his own software for a pen plotter to generate detailed drawings.
To learn more about the techniques used in this drawing, look up the technique of pen plotting or check out the work at the museum, but for now, consider the artist: Roman Verostko.
Overview
Visions of Hildegarde, M. is a 1990 drawing by Roman Verostko. The work consists of a dense network of lines rendered in multiple colors, produced through a computer‑controlled pen‑plotting process. Its intricate composition reflects the artist’s interest in algorithmic generation, where a set of instructions determines each line’s form, placement, and hue.
Technique & Style
Verostko designed custom software to drive a pen plotter, a mechanized arm that moves a pen across paper under computer direction. By modifying the device to accommodate several pens simultaneously, he could layer colors and achieve a high level of detail. The resulting visual language is characterized by precise, repetitive motifs that emerge from the underlying algorithm rather than hand‑drawn gestures.
History & Provenance
Born in 1929 in the United States, Roman Verostko became a pioneering figure in algorithmic art during the late 20th century. He was associated with the group known as ‘The Algorists,’ artists who, since the 1960s, explored bespoke software for computer‑generated imagery. This drawing, created in 1990, exemplifies his ongoing experimentation with digital processes and mechanical drawing tools.
Artist & collection
Artist
Roman Verostko spent years hand-coding his drawings, like a programmer who never left the art studio.
