Hofstätter, Hans H. 1969. Malerei und Graphik der Gegenwart. Baden-Baden (Germany):Holle Verlag

One of the first serious books on an aspect of the history of art that contains a short, but substantial section on early computer art.

The book appeared as volume 51 of an encompassing “Kunst der Welt. Ihre geschichtlichen, soziologischen und religiösen Grundlagen” (Art of the World. Its Historical, sociological, and religious foundations). This volume is about the first half of the twentieth century. When it appeared, in 1969, computer art was only four years old (if we take 1965 as the year when computer-generated, algorithmic works first appeared in public: the three exhibitions in Stuttgart and New york, showing works by Nees, Noll, Nake).

The book is organized in seven chapters. Of those, chapter 6 is on non-figurative art after World War II. It talks about Abstract Expressionism (Informel), Hard Edge, Science Fiction, Op Art, Programmed Structures, and Kinetic Art.

Programmed Structures refer to Max Bense, Herbert W. Franke, and Frieder Nake. An image of Nake’s Random Polygons program is included. Hofstätter draws a line between Documenta 1968, Informel, and Computer Art insofar as the computer finally forces to give up the individual brush stroke. A distance is now interrupting the close relation of the artist and his or her material work on canvas, wood, paper, printing plate, or other material. Such a distance concerns the immediacy that, even in the graphic arts, governed the relation of artist and material. In algorithmic (or computer) art, the algorithm and the program are getting between the artist and the work.