Engaging in Art Debate: Is Digital Art Real Art?

The debate of whether or not digital art is real art has been going on for quite a while. More and more people are becoming accepting of digital art, especially with social media and other online entertainment. However, there are still a group of people, even among the younger generation, who claim that digital art is not real art. The article above highlights both perspectives in regards to digital artists on social media, namely TikTok.

​

As someone who is mainly active on Instagram and Twitter, I believe the main reason why TikTok digital artists get targeted more often is due to the video format of the app. When an artist posts a still image of their finished work on social media, all the viewer sees is the final result, not so much the process. If the final result looks stunning, the viewer will associate that with high skill and lots of time spent working on it. They would be less likely to think about what techniques the artist used to create the work. On the other hand, TikTok usually enables artists to show a portion of their technique and process. However, due to the short nature of the videos, the audience is only able to see a fraction of the work that goes into a digital piece. Also, there are a lot of functions such as gradient maps, which can change the color of a whole piece with just a few adjustments, leading non-artists to think digital art is very simple and does not require skill and effort. 

​

I agree with the author’s analysis that the question of whether digital art is “real art” becomes a question of whether digital art requires skill. As the article mentioned, proponents of digital art believe that digital art is not easier than traditional art, because it requires a different set of skills. I think of traditional and digital as two separate paths that each require their own practice to improve. Just as it takes time to learn how to apply paint to a canvas, it takes time to learn how to use layers and navigate between different tools in a digital illustration software. Although learning traditional art first can serve as an advantage to learning digital art, it does not mean you will know how to utilize the software to its maximum potential.

​

The author also brings up a good point about what should be considered real art, if we agree that digital art should be based on skill. There are many levels of traditional art as well, ranging from very detailed and full rendered drawings to some questionable obscure works. The article mentions a piece called “The Comedian” which is literally a banana taped to the wall. Yet, it was considered art and sold for $120,000. Considering anyone could just tape a banana to a wall, would it fit the criteria of skill in order to be considered art?

​

Nowadays, technology is playing an increasing role in art making, whether it is for CGI, animation, concept art, or graphic design. Digital art is not here to replace traditional art, rather it will grow as its own category. Thus, we should learn to accept it and not belittle those who put effort into creating digital art.