Digital Commons@RISD Home > Division of Liberal Arts > Contemporary Aesthetics (Journal Archive) > Vol. 23 (2025)
Abstract
This article is concerned with digital color’s presentness and ubiquity and the implications of these aspects as reflected in contemporary artistic practices and aesthetics. Taking into consideration the history of color theory, the article explores premises and findings relevant to digital color and its differences with natural color as derived by optical vision. Further, it investigates the relationship between computer and artists, between appearance and experience in the digital realm, and highlights how digital color lies in the very nature of the medium: a numerical language hiding behind a mimetic two-dimensional surface or interface. These aspects are discussed through the analysis of the work of contemporary Italian artists Tommaso Tozzi, the duo Eva and Franco Mattes (01.ORG), and Elisa Giardina Papa. The works examined embed crucial aspects of computer-mediated art: from early experiments with information technology largely limited by narrow technical possibilities; to the process of unveiling and recognizing the numerical simulation made possible by the structure of the internet browser; to highlighting the dialogue between the physical world and its digital representation in a circular and self-referential manner.