UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 4, Page TT-3
September 21, 1995
TechTalk
Art and the Internet

     Recently introduced to e-mail, Professor Norman Sasowsky, Art,
immediately became aware of the possibilities the Internet presented
him. This summer, he began to publish some of his work on the Web.
"I'm an image-maker. I wanted to transmit images," he said. "When I
received an inquiry from a publisher in Santa Monica, California, who
had seen my work on the Web, I felt I'd made an enormous
breakthrough."
     For several years, Sasowsky has been interested in art that is
created or enhanced using a computer. Even though he uses relatively
unsophisticated software, "As an artist, I am able to achieve drawings
that have meaning," said Sasowsky. "The Web is the logical extension
of computer-generated art. You use the computer to create the image,
to display the image and now to publish it."
     The Web also presents a natural medium for another set of
projects Sasowsky has worked on. He has created several "Artist
Books," combining drawings and text into one coherent work. His latest
Artist Book, He Didn't Know Who He Was, is on line now. He plans to
put others on the Web in the near future, including The Eleusinian
Mysteries MS., which he did in collaboration with poet Fleda Jackson,
English. "I'm thinking about new works, too," Sasowsky added. "I have
been adapting works conceived in other media to the Web. But I am also
thinking about a new work that takes full advantage of the Web. More
of an 'Artist Electronic Scroll.'"
     Sasowsky indicated that artists are always looking for ways to
get their work seen. Even though a small representation of a four-foot
oil painting does not convey the full impact of the work, "I've been
very pleased with the quality of the images I've been able to
publish," he said. "Viewing my work on the Web certainly gives people
the chance to see the basic meaning and idea of each piece."
     Sasowsky said that he has spent a lot of time learning how to
prepare and adapt artwork for the Web, but added, "It will get easier
and easier for folks like me to publish our work in the future." He
found the HTML class offered by User Services to be very helpful but
was particularly pleased at the additional assistance he received from
Debra Jeffers and Eileen Garland, both of User Services. "Preparing
the text was relatively easy, but since I consider myself a relatively
unsophisticated computer person, I appreciated Debbie and Eileen's
help. I now feel well prepared to continue adding material to my Web
site." He added that Jeffers is working with his colleagues so that
more and more art, by students and faculty alike, is being published
on the Web.

Norman Sasowsky's
     URL=http://128.175.47.160/Depts/Art/Faculty/NorskyHP.HTM

Seurat: The "ArtSite"
     URL=http://128.175.47.160/