Georg Nees
Encyclopedia
Georg Nees is a pioneer of computer art
, an honorary professor
of computer science at the University of Erlangen, Germany
. Nees and his fellow pioneers Frieder Nake
and A. Michael Noll
have been called the "3N" of computer art.
in Erlangen
, Germany
, he began writing programs in ALGOL
that used random number generators to generate drawings automatically by controlling a Graphomat Z64, a primitive flat-bed pen plotter
designed by Konrad Zuse
. In order to create this art, Nees also wrote some of the world's first graphics libraries
, packages named G1, G2, and G3 that extended the ALGOL
programming language by adding commands for controlling a plotter and generating random numbers.
In Nees' work "Locken" (1965), the path of the plotter's pen follows a sequence of circular arcs whose lengths and radii are randomly generated, subject to the constraint that they remain within the rectangular frame; however, Nees intervened manually in the production of the artwork by determining when the image was complete. Another piece, variously called "Schotter", "Gravel Stones", or "Cubic Disarray" and created by Nees between 1968 and 1971, depicts a transition from order to chaos: a regular grid of evenly-spaced squares at the top of the image is randomly turned and displaced until, at the bottom of the image, the grid is completely disrupted.
Nees's artwork "Sculpture" (1968) was one of the world's first computer-generated sculptures; it was exhibited at the 1969 Venice Biennale
. It takes the form of a set of square indentations in a square wooden board, created by a computer-controlled automatic milling machine
. Some of Nees' works, including "Gravel Stones" and a two-dimensional pattern for "Sculpture", are in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum
. A retrospective exhibition of his works was shown at ZKM in Karlsruhe
, Germany
in 2006, in honor of his 80th birthday.
; his doctoral dissertation was the first to focus on computer art. In 1977, he became honorary professor at the University of Erlangen.
Computer art
Computer art is any art in which computers play a role in production or display of the artwork. Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, videogame, web site, algorithm, performance or gallery installation...
, an honorary professor
Honorary title (academic)
Honorary titles in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties...
of computer science at the University of Erlangen, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Nees and his fellow pioneers Frieder Nake
Frieder Nake
Frieder Nake is a professor for computer graphics at the department for computer science at the University of Bremen and visiting professor for hypermedia design at the University of the Arts Bremen. He lives and works in Bremen, Germany.He has taught in Stuttgart, Toronto and Vancouver, and has...
and A. Michael Noll
A. Michael Noll
A. Michael Noll is an American engineer, and professor emeritus at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. He was a very early pioneer in digital computer art and 3D animation and tactile communication.- Biography :Noll has a B.S.E.E...
have been called the "3N" of computer art.
Art
Nees began programming computers in 1959. Circa 1965, while working at SiemensSiemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
in Erlangen
Erlangen
Erlangen is a Middle Franconian city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located at the confluence of the river Regnitz and its large tributary, the Untere Schwabach.Erlangen has more than 100,000 inhabitants....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he began writing programs in ALGOL
ALGOL
ALGOL is a family of imperative computer programming languages originally developed in the mid 1950s which greatly influenced many other languages and became the de facto way algorithms were described in textbooks and academic works for almost the next 30 years...
that used random number generators to generate drawings automatically by controlling a Graphomat Z64, a primitive flat-bed pen 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...
designed by Konrad Zuse
Konrad Zuse
Konrad Zuse was a German civil engineer and computer pioneer. His greatest achievement was the world's first functional program-controlled Turing-complete computer, the Z3, which became operational in May 1941....
. In order to create this art, Nees also wrote some of the world's first graphics libraries
Graphics library
A graphics library is a program library designed to aid in rendering computer graphics to a monitor. This typically involves providing optimized versions of functions that handle common rendering tasks. This can be done purely in software and running on the CPU, common in embedded systems, or being...
, packages named G1, G2, and G3 that extended the ALGOL
ALGOL
ALGOL is a family of imperative computer programming languages originally developed in the mid 1950s which greatly influenced many other languages and became the de facto way algorithms were described in textbooks and academic works for almost the next 30 years...
programming language by adding commands for controlling a plotter and generating random numbers.
In Nees' work "Locken" (1965), the path of the plotter's pen follows a sequence of circular arcs whose lengths and radii are randomly generated, subject to the constraint that they remain within the rectangular frame; however, Nees intervened manually in the production of the artwork by determining when the image was complete. Another piece, variously called "Schotter", "Gravel Stones", or "Cubic Disarray" and created by Nees between 1968 and 1971, depicts a transition from order to chaos: a regular grid of evenly-spaced squares at the top of the image is randomly turned and displaced until, at the bottom of the image, the grid is completely disrupted.
Nees's artwork "Sculpture" (1968) was one of the world's first computer-generated sculptures; it was exhibited at the 1969 Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
. It takes the form of a set of square indentations in a square wooden board, created by a computer-controlled automatic milling machine
Milling machine
A milling machine is a machine tool used to machine solid materials. Milling machines are often classed in two basic forms, horizontal and vertical, which refers to the orientation of the main spindle. Both types range in size from small, bench-mounted devices to room-sized machines...
. Some of Nees' works, including "Gravel Stones" and a two-dimensional pattern for "Sculpture", are in the permanent collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria 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...
. A retrospective exhibition of his works was shown at ZKM in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 2006, in honor of his 80th birthday.
Academic career
In 1968, Nees earned a Ph.D. from the University of Stuttgart under the supervision of Max BenseMax Bense
Max Bense was a German philosopher, writer, and publicist, known for his work in philosophy of science, logic, aesthetics, and semiotics...
; his doctoral dissertation was the first to focus on computer art. In 1977, he became honorary professor at the University of Erlangen.