Lillian Schwartz
Encyclopedia
Lillian F. Schwartz is an American artist who is known for being a creator of 20th century computer-developed art. One notable work she created is Mona Leo, where she morphed
the image of a Leonardo da Vinci
self-portrait with the Mona Lisa
.
She made one of the first digitally created films to be shown as a work of art, Pixillation, which shows diagonal
red square
s and other shapes such as cone
s and pyramid
s on black on white backgrounds.
She worked in the early stages of her career with Bell Laboratories, developing mixtures of sound
, video, and art. Afterwards, during the 1980s, Schwartz experimented with manipulating artwork images using computer technology and creating artwork of her own.
extensively in experiments with computers. She used a 3D computer-generated model to show that the lines on the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan
match the perspective lines of Leonardo's fresco
painting of the Last Supper
.
Similarly, in Mona Leo, she replaced the left side of the Mona Lisa with a flipped left side of the red chalk portrait of Leonardo, arguing that the Mona Lisa is a self-portrait by da Vinci. Using lines drawn on the image, the picture depicts the bottom of the eye
, eyebrow
, nose
and chin
aligned together. She also removed the grey
tones in Leonardo da Vinci's self portrait and superimposed the Mona Lisa eye over it in further experiments. One argument about this alignment is that the similarities are due to both portraits being created by the same person using the same style. Additionally, though the drawing on which she based the comparison is held to be a self-portrait, there is no historical evidence to support this theory.
became more widely used in the late 1990s. She uses shapes generated by a computer to make images on the computer screen, such as using trapezium
shapes to create an object such as a cat
, as well as triangle
shapes to represent a human head
. She has experimented with ways to superimpose multiple images onto another image in an effect of a collage
, as with her works of Statue of Liberty and Homage to Van Gogh. She also warped images of faces of Rembrandt into a photo of Albert Einstein
, as a means of attempting to show similarities in the facial features. Further, she combined images of works of art in a poster for the Museum of Modern Art
in New York
for her poster Big MoMA.
Morphing
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction...
the image of a Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
self-portrait with the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa is a portrait by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It is a painting in oil on a poplar panel, completed circa 1503–1519...
.
She made one of the first digitally created films to be shown as a work of art, Pixillation, which shows diagonal
Diagonal
A diagonal is a line joining two nonconsecutive vertices of a polygon or polyhedron. Informally, any sloping line is called diagonal. The word "diagonal" derives from the Greek διαγώνιος , from dia- and gonia ; it was used by both Strabo and Euclid to refer to a line connecting two vertices of a...
red square
Square (geometry)
In geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral. This means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles...
s and other shapes such as cone
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
s and pyramid
Pyramid
A pyramid is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge at a single point. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilateral, or any polygon shape, meaning that a pyramid has at least three triangular surfaces...
s on black on white backgrounds.
She worked in the early stages of her career with Bell Laboratories, developing mixtures of sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
, video, and art. Afterwards, during the 1980s, Schwartz experimented with manipulating artwork images using computer technology and creating artwork of her own.
Experiments with Leonardo's works
Schwartz used the works of Leonardo Da VinciLeonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
extensively in experiments with computers. She used a 3D computer-generated model to show that the lines on the Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
match the perspective lines of Leonardo's fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
painting of the Last Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
.
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
, eyebrow
Eyebrow
The eyebrow is an area of thick, delicate hairs above the eye that follows the shape of the lower margin of the brow ridges of some mammals. Their main function is to prevent sweat, water, and other debris from falling down into the eye socket, but they are also important to human communication and...
, nose
Human nose
The visible part of the human nose is the protruding part of the face that bears the nostrils. The shape of the nose is determined by the ethmoid bone and the nasal septum, which consists mostly of cartilage and which separates the nostrils...
and chin
Chin
In the human anatomy, the chin is the lowermost part of the face.It is formed by the lower front of the mandible.People show a wide variety of chin structures. See Cleft chin....
aligned together. She also removed the grey
Grey
Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color.Complementary colors are defined to mix to grey, either additively or subtractively, and many color models place complements opposite each other in a color wheel. To produce grey in RGB displays, the R, G, and B primary light sources are combined in...
tones in Leonardo da Vinci's self portrait and superimposed the Mona Lisa eye over it in further experiments. One argument about this alignment is that the similarities are due to both portraits being created by the same person using the same style. Additionally, though the drawing on which she based the comparison is held to be a self-portrait, there is no historical evidence to support this theory.
Computer imagery
Schwartz uses computers to manipulate many other images which relate to art and art history. Schwartz's experiments with computers to manipulate images were done before digital artDigital art
Digital art is a general term for a range of artistic works and practices that use digital technology as an essential part of the creative and/or presentation process...
became more widely used in the late 1990s. She uses shapes generated by a computer to make images on the computer screen, such as using trapezium
Trapezium
The word trapezium has several meanings:* - a quadrilateral with one pair of parallel sides ....
shapes to create an object such as a cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
, as well as triangle
Triangle
A triangle is one of the basic shapes of geometry: a polygon with three corners or vertices and three sides or edges which are line segments. A triangle with vertices A, B, and C is denoted ....
shapes to represent a human head
Human head
In human anatomy, the head is the upper portion of the human body. It supports the face and is maintained by the skull, which itself encloses the brain.-Cultural importance:...
. She has experimented with ways to superimpose multiple images onto another image in an effect of a collage
Collage
A collage is a work of formal art, primarily in the visual arts, made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole....
, as with her works of Statue of Liberty and Homage to Van Gogh. She also warped images of faces of Rembrandt into a photo of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, as a means of attempting to show similarities in the facial features. Further, she combined images of works of art in a poster for the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for her poster Big MoMA.