The  natural  advancement   of   technology  in  the  past  few

          generations has enabled man to accomplish things he never thought

          possible-to talk to someone  hundreds  of  miles  away  with  the

          telephone, to fly in the sky in a plane, and  to  even  go to the




                                        - 1 -










          moon.   There  has  also  been the introduction  of  labor-saving

          devices, and machines more efficient than man that have  replaced

          him in many occupations,  changing  the  focus  and  strength  of

          traditional human  relations.   The  field  of  computer science,

          perhaps  the  fastest-growing  and most  rapidly  changing  field

          today,  has,  and has the potential in the future,  to  radically

          alter  the   world's   social   and   personal   relations.   The

          introduction of the computer into almost every aspect of  today's

          society has opened  new  doors  to  the study of all fields, from

          mathematics  to  ballet,   but   has   also  brought  traditional

          established rules and ideas under great scrutiny.  One discipline

          where the impact of the computer has only just been felt  is  the

          arts,  more  specifically,  the  visual arts.  The  emergence  of

          computer art has led to the development of several new art forms,

          each depending on the technology with which the  art was created.

          The computer has become an aid for designers attempting to create

          new products,which  also  requires  some  artistic  ability.  The

          influence  of  the  computer  in  art  has  also  created  a  new

          relationship  between  the  artist  and this relatively  new  art

          medium.  However,  the  effects  of the computer on the art world

          have raised new questions as to  whether or not this art is truly

          art, or simply  an  image  made  by  a  machine.  The controversy

          surrounding  computer  art has split the  art  community  between

          those who criticize the art and those who accept it as art.  Most

          will agree,  though,  that  computer art is a useful and valuable

          form of art,  a  natural  progression  from  art  forms that have




                                        - 2 -










          already been established.  "Creating works of art with electronic

          computers is on the mainstream of the  history of art, and indeed
K                                                         1K          on the mainstream of this history of humanity."    The  potential

          of the computer has not yet been realized, and the future holds a

          great deal in store for the artist and the computer.


            Most art movements are remembered for the relatively few  great

          works  which   are  associated  with  them  and  the  exceptional
K                                               2K          individuals who  brought them about."   Although the computer art

          movement did not take shape  until  the 1950s, and although there

          have been no truly memorable  works  of art or artists associated

          with the computer, computer art has had  a  unique  significance,

          both socially and  artistically,  on today's world.  Computer art

          embraces several forms  of  art which area considered traditional

          in the sense  that  they  are  established forms of art, and have

          been undertaken using the same  or  similar  methods  for  years.

          These art forms which have been affected by  the computer include

          graphics, sculpture,  film, music, poetry, and dance.  The people

          who utilize the  computers  in  their  work  in  the arts include

          composers, artists, poets, and writers, and anyone else  who  has

          the access to and the know-how to manipulate the computer and its

          printers to crea