I see these kind of projects often, and I’m not sure how I feel about them. Art is more than just something nice to look at. By turning these pieces of art into wallpapers, it feels like the meaning, context, and significance are being stripped away. And you are missing the entire point. I could be entirely wrong as I’m no art expert.
I've recently been entranced by the late works of Wayne Thiebaud[1], to the point of checking out his collections at the library and meticulously scanning them in at home. Reading about the context and inspiration behind some of his pieces was illuminating, sure; but I still get the same feeling looking at his art even with this new information as I did when it first caught my eye at SFMOMA.
To me, the aesthetic and emotional impact of the art comes first, and everything else is just a value-add.
I agree with you on the point that aesthetic and emotional impact of the art is important, but I feel like having it as a wallpaper kind of takes that experience away. I think one has to be in a particular mood and mindset to really take that in. But having art as a wallpaper... I guess I am skeptical that the times between switching apps is the right time to take that all in.
Thank you for sharing that link! I remember seeing his work before at de Young museum and it brought back some memories :)
I guess I don't really see it as a wallpaper anymore, but an on-demand art gallery that just happens to be built using the wallpaper cycling functionality of macOS. My desktop is covered by windows 99% of the time anyway!
Yeah it's like putting music on in the background while you're doing something. You won't actually be paying attention to the lyrics or the notes that much compared to actively listening to a song.
