I wonder, if passed the 90s fascination about new economy, the wonders of tele- remote working, Web 2.0, the "virtual", it still makes sense to talk about digital artist and analogue artist (or better traditional).
According to a dated and canonical definition, the digital artist uses the computer (in a non-trivial way) as a creative tool, creating completely synthetic works, or manipulating the traditional media (see Wikipedia).
I personally could be partially agreed only when we talk about art generative or mathematics, such as fractal art:
Ultra Fractal by Kevin Dooley
In the case of fractal art, in fact, the artist’s function is almost purely exploratory: after setting some parameters, that are most often predefined in software such as “Ultrafractal” or similar, the digital artist will limit themselves to explore, zomming and shrinking the digital world obtained, going to stop in an image what he believes, according to his sensibility, is worthy of being shared.
A little what the photographer does with the real world.
In this case, therefore, it starts from a mathematical formula, the artist “island” what it considers meaningful.
But when the computer is used to draw, model, sculpt, manipulate, in my opinion this separation between digital and analog artists (or traditional) becomes increasingly weak.
I mean. If a writer uses the computer to write a novel or a poem, is it a digital writer?
If I take a picture on film, scan, remove dust and turn colors, is digital or analogue art ?
And if I had done it entirely in the darkroom, could I have been more virtuous?
If I create a 3d model for an animation, then the mold in 3d or with a CNC router, the silt and I paint it by hand, are a traditional artist or a digital artist?
Am I a sculptor, a graph, a digital artist or what?
For when I’m concerned, these separations always make less sense.
Then, if we want to speak of virtuosity, for charity, the thing changes: to choose to work entirely with traditional techniques, it certainly has the added value of keeping alive techniques and traditions of the past, as testimony for posterity of human Inventiv.
Each process, computer or traditional media, has advantages and disadvantages.
With photography, for example, I really like the effect and the definition of the film, especially when you go to use medium and large formats.
Also because the “digital” is practically firm and consolidated on the format 35mm.
Then sometimes I mold in the darkroom, sometimes just scan and place on social networks.
