Editing Computer art scene

{{Short description|Communities making art on computers}}
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The '''computer art scene''', or simply '''artscene''', is the community interested and active in the creation of [[computer art|computer-based artwork]].

==Early computer art==
{{original research|section|date=April 2025}}
The history of computer art predates the computer art scene for several decades, with the first experiments having taken place in the early 1950s. Devices like [[plotter]]s and [[teletypewriter]]s were commonly used instead of video display screens. The earliest precursors to [[ASCII art]] can be found in [[radioteletype|RTTY]] art, that is, pictures created by [[amateur radio]] enthusiasts with teleprinters using the [[Baudot code]].

In the early days of [[microcomputer]]s, what could be shown on a typical [[computer display|video display screen]] was limited to plain and simple text, such as that found in the [[ASCII]] code set.  In the early 1980s, users of [[IBM PC compatible]] computers began to experiment with ways of forming simple pictures and designs using only the 255 characters within the [[Extended ASCII]] [[character encoding|character set]], specifically known as [[code page]] [[codepage 437|437]], created by [[IBM]].  [[Modem]]s and networking technology allowed computer users to communicate with each other over [[bulletin board system]]s (BBSes); the [[sysop|operators]] of these BBSes used [[ASCII art]] to enhance the aesthetic appearance of their systems.   The common user interface or video mode shared by all systems was [[text user interface|plain text]].  As a result, a "[[Warez (scene)|scene]]" of [[artists]] arose to fill the need for original art to distinguish one BBS from another.

==Evolving technology==

===At home===
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:C64 IKPlus.png|right|320px|A 16 color Commodore 64 picture]] -->
[[Image:HAM6example.png|thumb|A 4,096 color Amiga picture]]
<!-- Image with inadequate rationale removed: [[Image:TheDraw ANSI.png|thumb|320px|A screenshot of ANSI art]] -->
At a time when [[IBM PC compatible]]s were limited to monochrome graphics or the four preset colors of the [[Color Graphics Adapter]], the [[Atari 8-bit computers]] had a palette of 128 colors and could display 4-8 of those at once—or many more with custom programming. The [[Commodore 64]] could display 16 fixed colors.

In 1985, the [[ Amiga]] arrived with the ability to display 640x480 4096-color graphics that could be exported via the NTSC standard. This capability was used by Disney animators in movies such as ''The Little Mermaid'' and by TV producers in shows such as ''SeaQuest'' and ''Babylon 5''.{{Citation needed|date=June 2024}}

===Online===
As computer technology developed, the [[American National Standards Institute]] X3 committee invented a standard method of terminal control using [[escape sequence]]s called "ANSI X3.64-1979".  This protocol allowed for text and cursor positioning as well as defining foreground and background color attributes for the text.

Eventually, text artists began incorporating this new level of flexibility to the existing medium of [[ASCII art]] by adding color to their text-based art, or animating their art by manipulating the cursor control codes.  This is what is commonly referred to today as "[[ANSI art]]" that is used in many scene nfos.

A decade later, the popularity of ANSI art had increased significantly (largely due to the similarly increasing interest in the BBS) and ANSI artists began to form into "groups", not unlike [[graffiti]] "crews."  The first ANSI group was called [[Aces of ANSI Art]] (AAA).<ref name="BBSDoc">{{Cite video|people = Jason Scott| title = "BBS: The Documentary"| medium = DVD|publisher = Bovine Ignition Systems|location = Boston, MA| date = 2005}}</ref>  Though no official founding date can be established for this group, its earliest surviving tribute packs are dated December 1991 and includes art dated back to 1989.<ref>{{Cite web | title = BBSing.com, Aces of Ansi Art | work = ReadMe file of aaa-8991.zip | url = http://www.bbsing.com/ansiart/acesofansiart/acesofansiart.html | accessdate = March 18, 2010}}</ref>

Other groups like [[ACiD Productions|ACiD]] (ANSI Creators in Demand) and [[iCE Advertisements|iCE]] (Insane Creators Enterprises) quickly began to spring up.  Beginning in June 1992, these groups would release their work in monthly "ARTPACKS,"<ref name="BBSDoc"/> which were collections of ASCII art submitted by the group's various members, as well as news and membership lists.<ref name="BBSDoc"/>  These artpacks were then spread far and wide by BBS users.  Some of the same groups from the 1990s still exist today; their art is now primarily distributed using the [[internet]].

A later method of transmitting graphics over a BBS was developed called Remote Imaging Protocol or [[RIPscrip|RIP]], which required special software on both the BBS and the terminal end.  RIP was still basically text, but the text referred to the positions of lines, curves, fills, and other steps in drawing graphics on an [[Enhanced Graphics Adapter|EGA]] display of 640x350x16 colors.  While RIP never caught on in the BBS world, the art scene embraced it as a form of expression, if not a viable method of displaying art on a BBS.

==VGA to present day==
{{original research|section|date=April 2025}}
[[Image:Torak.gif|thumb|250px|256 and 16 color progressive images from 1980s VGA card. [[Dithering]] is used to overcome color limitations.]] 
In 1987 IBM introduced the VGA card.  Early [[Video Graphics Array|VGA]] graphics were "high resolution" images, generally using an 8-bit depth (256 colors) and a resolution of 320x200x256, 360x480x256 (hacked [[Mode X]]), or 640x480x16 colors.  VGA was not intended to be displayed via a BBS and the vast majority of the early works in the IBM PC artscene were distributed as coded [[executable]]s called "''loaders''" or "''[[crack intro|intros]]''" rather than raw bitmap images.  In fact, it was considered to be "''[[lamer|lame]]''" to release an uncoded VGA work of art from the early- to mid-1990s, a sure indication that your group was not skilled enough to retain a worthy programmer.

The advent of custom image viewers developed by groups within the artscene, such as ACiD View and iCEView, began to shift the perception of how VGA art should be distributed and what the accepted practice should be.  A coded VGA which did not take any of the advantages of being an executable, like special effects or music, became viewed as an impractical use of disk space—all of this in turn spawned a number of competing image viewers, and even "Viewer Wars" between rival art groups.  Talented underground artists such as CatBones continued to help pioneer and define what is now referred to as the "''hirez artscene''", further championing the move away from coded VGA to stand-alone imagery with his impressive artwork.  ''Hirez'' today implies higher resolutions than before, such as a 1024x768 pixel canvas or larger, greater depth of color, and is created with much more sophisticated and modern software.

==Underground status==
{{original research|section|date=April 2025}}
Despite the fact that contributors to the artscene can be found worldwide, the scene remains detached from mainstream bbs and internet culture. This can be seen as a result of the artscene's early affiliations with [[Hacker (computer security)|hacker]] and software piracy ([[List of warez groups|warez]]) organizations. As early [[demoscene]] [[List of demoscene groups|groups]] were organized by [[cracktros]] coders, artscene members were often found designing the [[.nfo]] files detailing [[warez]] releases. In addition much of the [[ansi art]] provided for warez BBSes was drawn by future members of the artscene. Prior to the popularity of the internet in the 1990s, the most efficient way to distribute software and files across BBSes was via a courier system. Both the warez scene and the artscene utilized this system, and in many cases warez couriers could be found distributing monthly [[artpack]]s.

In addition to  connection that the various [[:Category:Underground computer groups|underground groups]] had, a common attitude and relationship between scene members developed. The general belief that "[[newbies]] are lame" and "veterans are [[leet|elite]]", as well as the use of [[leetspeek]], created an environment that was sometimes difficult for new members to enter. In particular, many artsceners' distrust and bitterness towards new [[America Online]] users in the 1990s may have eroded the possibility for a wider membership base and audience for the artscene.

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[ANSI art]]
* [[ASCII art]]
* [[Pixel art]]
* [[Netart]]
* [[Digital art]]
* [[Software art]]
* [[Demoscene]]
* [[DeviantArt]]
* [[:Category:Artscene groups|List of artscene groups]]
* [[Minor artscene groups]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Danet, Brenda.  ''"Cyberpl@y: Communicating Online"''.  Oxford, UK: Berg Publishers, 2001.  {{ISBN|1-85973-424-3}}.
* ''"Dark Domain: the artpacks.acid.org collection"'' (DVD-ROM).  San Jose, CA, USA: ACiD Productions, LLC, 2004.  {{ISBN|0-9746537-0-5}}.
* Scott, Jason.  ''"[[BBS: The Documentary]]"'' (DVD).  Boston, MA, USA: Bovine Ignition Systems, 2005.
* [[Kim Zetter|Zetter, Kim]].  ''[https://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,67776,00.html "How Humble BBS Begat Wired World"]''.  [[Wired News]].  June 8, 2005.  Retrieved October 27, 2005.
* Wands, Bruce (2006). ''Art of the Digital Age'', London: Thames & Hudson. {{ISBN|0-500-23817-0}}.

==External links==

===Examples of ANSI Artwork===
* [http://artscene.textfiles.com artscene.textfiles.com], The artscene branch of the [[textfiles.com]] library.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20041202031602/http://darkdomain.org/ darkdomain.org], ''Dark Domain (2004)''.  An archive on DVD which hosts a complete collection of underground artscene works between 1987-2003.  Published by [[ACiD Productions]].  {{ISBN|0-9746537-0-5}}.
* [http://cleaner.untergrund.net Cleaner Alternative Museum] Cleaner's ASCii/ANSi galleries.
* [http://www.roysac.com/ Roy/SAC Text Artist]- Superior Art Creations, Information about ASCII Art Styles, SAC Art Packs Download
*[https://archive.today/20121220052340/http://sixteencolors.net/ Sixteen Colors ANSI Art and ASCII Art Archive] - A web viewable archive of current and past ANSI and ASCII [[Artpack|packs]] released by the computer art scene

===More on the History of the Art Scene===
* [https://archive.org/details/BBS.The.Documentary BBS: The Documentary] Episode 5 documents the rise of the Art Scene

===Organizations still in Operation===
* [http://www.defacto2.net/portal.cfm?category=art&sort=name Defacto2 Scene Portal] Scene Art Groups and Sites Listing
* [http://www.depthcore.com DepthCore international digital art & design group]
* [http://www.breedart.org BreedArt, an international art group in operation since 2001, one of the innovators of the scene]
* [http://www.downmix.com Downmix] Current computer art scene news and releases
* [http://www.evokeone.com Evoke: An international design group primarily for young and developing artists.]
* [http://www.theluminarium.net The Luminarium international artgroup.]
* [http://www.slashthree.com SlashTHREE: A not-for-profit international art collective representing artists in over 40 countries world wide.]

===Utilities===
* [http://ansilove.sourceforge.net Ansilove/PHP] A set of tools for converting ANSi/BiN/ADF/iDF/TUNDRA/XBiN files into PNG images

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{{Digital art}}
[[Category:Artscene| ]]
[[Category:Computer art]]
[[Category:Computing culture]]