First Transmission by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1990

First Transmission

Lillian Feldman Schwartz

1990

24 × 36 in 

Female Pioneer

Description

First Transmission is both a portrait of the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven and a historic artifact of a milestone in the technological mediation of art-making. The portrait was the first artwork to be drawn and transmitted across a digital network in real-time, years before the launch of the World Wide Web in 1993. Lillian Schwartz drew the portrait using an early graphics tablet, a light pen, and illustration software before sending the file across a telephone data link to an exhibition at the Williams Gallery in Princeton, New Jersey, using an external dial-up modem. The image was then laser printed at the exhibition site. Just as Beethoven composed through a sensitivity to vibrations after losing his hearing, Schwartz’s portrait is decoded through networks and protocols—a telematic analogue to composing with the help of unseen forces.

Devil Series #3 by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1988

Devil Series #3 Lillian Feldman Schwartz1988 Print

www.beetles by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1996

www.beetles Lillian Feldman Schwartz1996 Print

Lillian 2 (Picturephone Self Portrait) by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1979

Lillian 2 (Picturephone Self Portrait) Lillian Feldman Schwartz1979 Print

Leo & I by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1989

Leo & I Lillian Feldman Schwartz1989 Print

Olympiad Ken Knowlton2000 Print

Untitled Self-Portrait by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1984

Untitled Self-Portrait Lillian Feldman Schwartz1984 Print

MOMA Poster, 1984 by Lillian Feldman Schwartz, 1984

MOMA Poster, 1984 Lillian Feldman Schwartz1984 Print

Seated Nude (AP) Ken Knowlton1969 Print