It used to be said, “If you could
draw you could make a living.”Sadly this is no longer the case. The computer has
been the final death knell for much of the production artists in industry. In fact more people have lost jobs
to the advent of computer technology than anyone is willing to admit. As we all know, one guy on a
computer can produce more work than a whole company of animators, typographers,
photographers, printers, illustrators,designers,
graphic artists, combined.
At one time, the top illustrators
were considered celebrities and were paid tremendous amounts of money. In the 1930’s almost everyone had a
Maxfield Parrish print on their wall. The next generation replaced this with a
Norman Rockwell print.From the industrial revolution to
the computer age, technology has reduced the need for the artists and craftsmen.
In regards to illustrators, the
invention of photography and the ability to place the photos in a printed copy reduced
the need greatly for artists.
In the 1960’s most the big
advertisers began to pull out the popular magazines of the day and invest their
money in the new technology called "television." This again reduced the need for the
advertising illustrator.The last industry where there was still
a need for creative personnel and artists could make a decent living was
the movie industry. Being a movie poster illustrator
was a coveted prize for an artist. However by the 1980’s this became more of a
rare commodity as entertainment executives opted for the computer generated
photo montage of little or no artistic merit.
It seems to me that there is a
direct relationship between the rise of technology and the downfall of artistic
integrity and craftsmanship.
So, next time you wax poetically
about your new PC remember all the artists and
craftsmen that were sent to pasture, before you boot that thing up.
Ok, with this rant coming to an
end I will now publish this blog article, so you can read it on your computer...
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