Is it art?

I love these perplexing "boundary conditions" that challenge our intellect, e.g. if something's generated by computer, is it still art? What if the computer is just a tool of the artist, as in these wonderful paintings that look not the least bit numerical, yet are generated, in effect, using a matrix (array of numbers) as the "canvas"?

It raises a wonderfully provocative question: since it was generated using (as a tool, as a canvas, or whatever) a computer, is it still art? I think so. Not only is it art, in the same way as a painting is art, but I also think it's a higher form of art than a painting, in the sense that the purpose of art should be to challenge our intellect, not just make a beautful picture.

Of all the Ilija Vranesic portraits, this one, entitled "Zvonko" is the only one that has context, which I see as an "entry" point into the picture.

Notice how it draws the eye in from the lower left, through the use of everyday familiar objects, as a point of entry into the space.

My favorite of the landscapes, etc., are these four, for the same sort of reasons, e.g. I can envision a path into the space, as if it were somehow connected to reality:

Although they were generated by computer, they "feel" very real, or what I like to refer to as "hyper realism" (beyond real).

I also like some of the paintings done by Christiane Pflug


Another computer painting, by Vranesic, entitled "Fall in High Park" was used on the cover of a textbook.