Roman Verostko
Encyclopedia
Roman Verostko is an artist who produces algorithmic art
. Verostko developed his own software to control a line plotter
that produces unique pen and ink drawings. He also modified the plotter to hold an oriental paintbrush. In 1995, he co-founded the Algorists with Jean-Pierre Hébert
.
in Latrobe, Pa from 1952 to 1968, joining the faculty there in 1963. His monastic travels took him to places such as New York, Washington, and Paris. After leaving religious life in 1968, he redirected his artistic practices toward algorithmic art
. He now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he is a Professor Emeritus at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
.
, where he received a diploma in illustration in 1949. He then began at Saint Vincent’s Seminary in 1953, earning a BA in Philosophy in 1955. While Verostko retained his ties to Saint Vincent, he pursued graduate work at other institutions in the early 1960s, first in an MFA program at Pratt Institute
in 1961, then studying art history at New York University
and Columbia
from 1961 to 1962. Verostko then travelled to Paris, where he studied printmaking at Hayter's Atelier 17
from 1962 to 1963, as well as took courses at the Louvre
and visited religious sites. Much of Verostko's work in Paris "pursued visual manifestations of inner experience that transcended rational observation. For many of these 'automatic' works he maintained a private notebook of 'experience states' related to their execution". Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hayter worked very closely with the Surrealists, exploring semi-automated methodologies for image-making in the belief that its source was the irrational. Hayter also associated with many of the forebearers of the Algorists, among them Le Corbusier
. Many of the themes Verostko would explore in his life's work - EXAMPLES - emerged in this time period in and around Paris.
.
In 1990, Verostko published an artist's book in honor of George Boole
, in a limited edition. Each copy of the book contains unique multi-pen plotter drawings, plus a single brush stroke created using the same algorithm.
In 2008, Verostko installed an "upsidedown" mural, with 11 units spanning two stories inside the main entrance of the Fred Rogers Center located on the Saint Vincent College campus, Latrobe, PA. The images are digital transformations of his original pen and ink drawings created for an "Upsidedown Book" in the 1970s. His "Upsidedown Book" was published and dedicated to Fred Rogers on August 2, 2008.
, Saint Vincent College
and other institutions.
Links to other Algorists
Algorithmic art
Algorithmic art, also known as algorithm art, is art, mostly visual art, of which the design is generated by an algorithm. Algorithmic artists are sometimes called algorists.- Overview :...
. Verostko developed his own software to control a line plotter
Plotter
A plotter is a computer printing device for printing vector graphics. In the past, plotters were widely used in applications such as computer-aided design, though they have generally been replaced with wide-format conventional printers...
that produces unique pen and ink drawings. He also modified the plotter to hold an oriental paintbrush. In 1995, he co-founded the Algorists with Jean-Pierre Hébert
Jean-Pierre Hébert
Jean-Pierre Hébert is an independent artist of algorithmic art, drawings, and mixed media. He co-founded the Algorists in 1995 with Roman Verostko.Hébert lives and works in Santa Barbara, California...
.
Biography
Roman Verostko was born in 1929 in Tarrs, Pennsylvania, a coal-mining town fifty miles east of Pittsburgh. A painter in his early life, he also studied as a Benedictine monk at Saint Vincent SeminarySaint Vincent Seminary
Saint Vincent Seminary is the fourth oldest Roman Catholic seminary in the United States and is located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, forty miles southeast of Pittsburgh....
in Latrobe, Pa from 1952 to 1968, joining the faculty there in 1963. His monastic travels took him to places such as New York, Washington, and Paris. After leaving religious life in 1968, he redirected his artistic practices toward algorithmic art
Algorithmic art
Algorithmic art, also known as algorithm art, is art, mostly visual art, of which the design is generated by an algorithm. Algorithmic artists are sometimes called algorists.- Overview :...
. He now resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he is a Professor Emeritus at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Minneapolis College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit four-year and postgraduate college specializing in the visual arts. Located in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, MCAD currently enrolls approximately 1,000 students offering curriculum that includes...
.
Education
After graduating from high school, Verostko studied at the Art Institute of PittsburghArt Institute of Pittsburgh
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh is a private, for-profit, higher education institute located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that emphasizes design education and career preparation for the creative job market. It was founded in 1921.-History:...
, where he received a diploma in illustration in 1949. He then began at Saint Vincent’s Seminary in 1953, earning a BA in Philosophy in 1955. While Verostko retained his ties to Saint Vincent, he pursued graduate work at other institutions in the early 1960s, first in an MFA program at Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute
Pratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in 1961, then studying art history at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
and Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1961 to 1962. Verostko then travelled to Paris, where he studied printmaking at Hayter's Atelier 17
Stanley William Hayter
Stanley William Hayter , CBE was a British painter and printmaker associated in the 1930s with Surrealism and from 1940 onward with Abstract Expressionism. Regarded as one of the most significant printmakers of the 20th century, in 1927 Hayter founded the legendary Atelier 17 studio in Paris...
from 1962 to 1963, as well as took courses at the Louvre
Louvre
The Musée du Louvre – in English, the Louvre Museum or simply the Louvre – is one of the world's largest museums, the most visited art museum in the world and a historic monument. A central landmark of Paris, it is located on the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement...
and visited religious sites. Much of Verostko's work in Paris "pursued visual manifestations of inner experience that transcended rational observation. For many of these 'automatic' works he maintained a private notebook of 'experience states' related to their execution". Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hayter worked very closely with the Surrealists, exploring semi-automated methodologies for image-making in the belief that its source was the irrational. Hayter also associated with many of the forebearers of the Algorists, among them Le Corbusier
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
. Many of the themes Verostko would explore in his life's work - EXAMPLES - emerged in this time period in and around Paris.
Artworks
During the 1980s, Verostko developed an interactive computer program called the Magic Hand of Chance. He went on to create his Hodos software, which controls a pen plotter that can also hold an oriental brush. Examples of his algorithmic work produced on a plotter include the Pathway series, the Pearl Park Scriptures, the Diamond Lake Apocalypse and the Manchester Illuminated Universal Turing Machine, produced in honor of Alan TuringAlan Turing
Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS , was an English mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, providing a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which played a...
.
In 1990, Verostko published an artist's book in honor of George Boole
George Boole
George Boole was an English mathematician and philosopher.As the inventor of Boolean logic—the basis of modern digital computer logic—Boole is regarded in hindsight as a founder of the field of computer science. Boole said,...
, in a limited edition. Each copy of the book contains unique multi-pen plotter drawings, plus a single brush stroke created using the same algorithm.
In 2008, Verostko installed an "upsidedown" mural, with 11 units spanning two stories inside the main entrance of the Fred Rogers Center located on the Saint Vincent College campus, Latrobe, PA. The images are digital transformations of his original pen and ink drawings created for an "Upsidedown Book" in the 1970s. His "Upsidedown Book" was published and dedicated to Fred Rogers on August 2, 2008.
Awards and honors
- 2009 SIGGRAPHSIGGRAPHSIGGRAPH is the name of the annual conference on computer graphics convened by the ACM SIGGRAPH organization. The first SIGGRAPH conference was in 1974. The conference is attended by tens of thousands of computer professionals...
Disitinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement. The other 2009 recipient was Lynn Hershman LeesonLynn Hershman LeesonLynn Hershman Leeson is an award-winning American artist and filmmaker. She was Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, and an A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University...
. - 1995 ARTEC '95, Recommendatory Prize.
- 1994 Golden Plotter, First Prize, Gladbeck, Germany
- 1993 Prix Ars Electronica, Honorary Mention
- 1970 Bush Leadership Fellow
- 1971, 1974 Outstanding Educators of America
Public collections
His work is held by the Victoria and Albert MuseumVictoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
, Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Roman Catholic, Benedictine, liberal arts college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, located about 40 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. It was founded in 1846 by Boniface Wimmer, a monk from Bavaria, Germany. It was the first Benedictine monastery in the...
and other institutions.
External links
- Roman Verostko's website
- DAM biography, art for Roman Verostko
- List of works held by the Victoria and Albert Museum
- Inter-Society for the Electronic Arts (ISEA)
Links to other Algorists
- THE ALGORISTS: Four Visual Artists in the Land of Newton A group show featuring Verostko and other founding members.
- Jean-Pierre Hébert
- Hans Dehlinger
- Harold Cohen
- Vera Molnar