Sykora was one of the first visual artists to experiment with computer generated art.
Sykora uniquely titled his paintings from 1974 in a simple manner, with “Lines” holding a prominent place in Sýkora’s work due to their vibrant and ever-changing colors. In 1973, the artist delved into this theme for the first time, bringing an end to his previous decade of impressive structural creations. In fact, as early as 1964, Zdeněk Sýkora was one of the first painters in the history of fine arts to incorporate the use of computers as a tool in the composition of his paintings. Working together with mathematician Jaroslav Blažek, they developed a program for establishing the positions of each element in the artwork. The use of structures adhered to predetermined rules that the computer would follow and complete. On the other hand, Sýkora’s “earthworms” – as he playfully referred to his line paintings- were a result of the random nature of the system, a collaboration with his wife Lenka starting in 1985. Here, the computer would provide a series of random numbers for all aspects of the painting, from widths and colors to the lengths of the lines. This process resulted in a score of numbers, which the author then translated onto the canvas in a classical fashion, akin to reading a musical score. But why did the author give a different title to his painting, Lines no. 56? Surely, he was taken aback by the “mad” circus that had emerged on the canvas. It surpassed all of his expectations, even causing him to struggle with the unconventional use of colors. This led to a year of uncertainty before finally, it became a distinct representation of Sýkora’s unique style.
www.ftn-books.com has one of the first publications on Sykora’s art available.
