“Charles Csuri is internationally recognized as the Pioneer of Computer Art and Animation.”
Bio
Pioneer Charles Csuri 1922-2022, is known as “The father of Computer Art”. Smithsonian Magazine 1995 and Art News 2022. As a professor, fine artist and computer scientist, his research and artistic vision led to advances in software that created new artistic tools for 3D computer graphics, computer animation, gaming and 3d printing - all in advance of their broad commercial applications. Further, since the 1960’s, Csuri experimented with computer-based multimedia, in the form of plotters, canvas and screen prints, milling machine sculpture, holograms, animation, and now NFT’s. His art is a record of advances in a digital artistic movement and creates a unique historic marker for the history of art + computer technology.
Charles also known as “Chuck” Csuri has lived a life of remarkable achievement, as documented by CNN’s “Portrait of America”. He was the team captain of the OSU national championship football team in 1942 then fought for the U.S. in the Battle of the Bulge, receiving the Bronze star for heroism. He was the youngest professor at OSU with academic degrees in Fine Art, Engineering and Computer Science. Historically he was the first fine artist to get a major research grant from The National Science Foundation. After spearheading developments in the field on computer graphics he created the first computer animation company in the world, Cranston Csuri Productions in 1984. Further Csuri’s historic artistic and technological journey was featured on “The Today Show” and “Entertainment Tonight”. “The Smithsonian Magazine” 1995 cover and article on Csuri further showcased his pioneering Digital Art.
Charles Csuri was creating digital art till age 99. He will be remembered as a true renaissance man: an athlete, professor, artist and revolutionary innovator who combined art, science, and technology as one of the first pioneers. He is a world renowned artist, influential educator, and inspiring visionary. In today’s art world where technology is highlighted as one of the most powerful forces of innovation and change, Charles Csuri was truly one of the “old guard” and a historic driving force of this revolution and digital art movement.
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Csuri from the humble beginnings of a coal miners town in Grant Town West Virginia and later Cleveland Ohio earned a football scholarship to The Ohio State University. Csuri became All American and Captain of The First National Championship football team in 1942. Csuri was then drafted into World War 11 where he received The Bronze Star for heroism in “The Battle of the Bulge.” After the war, he returned to college to become the youngest full professor of Fine Arts at O.S.U. He began his professional career as a painter having numerous exhibitions in New York City from 1955-1965 including the Harry Salpeter and Leo Castelli Galleries, N.Y.C. As a young artist Charles Csuri and pop artist Roy Lichtenstein were college friends who had inspiring discussions about art. Artist George Segal encouraged Csuri artistically and later did a life sized sculpture of Csuri sitting at his famous installation “The Diner”.
In 1963, Csuri experimented with computer graphics technology and in 1964 began creating the first computer animated films. Charles Csuri was officially recognized as “The father of Computer Art” by Smithsonian Magazine in 1995 and as the leading pioneer of Computer Animation by MOMA. The very first Computer Animation called “Hummingbird” 1967 is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art NYC.
Csuri was also the first fine artist in history to be supported by the National Science foundation spearheading his pioneering research in the development of the field of computer Graphics and Animation. He then became a professor of Computer Information Science at O.S.U where he founded The Advanced Computing Center for Art and Design. In addition he cofounded the Ohio Super Computer Center. Csuri has funded, taught and mentored 40 PHD students. His program graduates are working at major motion picture and animation companies such as Pixar and Disney, Industrial Light and Magic to name a few.
Charles Csuris’ art has been showcased in exhibitions, held in Museums, and private collections around the world. Csuri’s computer art is in permanent collections: MOMA in NYC, The Whitney Museum of Art, in N.Y. The Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, The Victoria and Albert Museum, in London, Pompidou Museum in Paris, National Museum for Contemporary Art, in Zagreb, Croatia, ZKM Museum, in Karlsruhe Germany. Computer History Museum CA.
Exhibition highlights: include the 42nd Biennale de Venezia, Italy,
The Smithsonian Museum, “Leo Castelli Art collection” in DC,
Museum of Art, Sao Paulo Brazil, The institute for Contemporary Art in London.
42nd Biennale de Venezia, 1986 Venice, Italy
Prix Ars Electronica International Compendium of the Computer Arts, 1990, Linz, Austria
Csuri’s retrospective exhibition “Beyond Boundaries” 2006 https://csuriproject.osu.edu included over 90 works of art that traveled to The Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan.
Siggraph International Exhibition in Boston showcased over 65 works of Csuris computer art in 2007.
Csuri's digital art is included in an exhibition entitled “Feedback” 2007 at the Art and Industrial Creation Centre in Gijon, Spain, curated by Christiane Paul of the Whitney Museum and Jemina Rellie of the Tate Museum in London.
Csuri exhibited in "Programmed: Rules, Codes and Choreographies in art, 1965-2018 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
"Charles Csuri Dislocations" exhibition was part of the 12th Istanbul Biennial at the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb where his iconic Random War 1967 was projected on the Media Facade of the museum.
Csuri's Hummingbird film was showcased in "New Tendencies" 2008-2009 at the Center for Art and Media karlsruhe.
Also Featured in the exhibition "Thinking Machines: Art and Design in the Computer Age", 1959–1989 MOMA, NY, New York 2018
Whitney Museum "Programmed Rules Codes and Choreographies in Art" 1965 - 2018 Sept 2018 - April 2019.
Moma Exhibition "The Machine as seen at the end of the Mechanical Age" 1968-1969.
"Coded" Art Enters the Computer Age 1952-1982, at LACMA in 2023
"Charles Csuri Art and Research in Three Acts" The Ohio State University 2023.
Csuri has been a featured artist and computer graphics pioneer in Ted Turners "Portrait of America Series" in Business Week who called him "The Eccentric Wizard of Glossy Graphics". New York Times Technology Cybertimes 1998 Csuri profiled. https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/tech/98/10/cyber/artsatlarge/15artsatlarge.html Cranston Csuri Productions the first computer animation company was featured on entertainment tonight. Charles Csuris history as a pioneering artist is featured in more than 50 books published throughout Europe and America. art. Awards highlights:
Csuri was a team captain, All-American and National Champion at The Ohio State University.
Artistic Process
Csuri’s recounts in his early years as a painter he used a process based upon a traditional approach to a creativity. “You mark with a brush or palette knife making changes in a two dimensional space where you use an additive and subtractive process until the picture is finished”. Using technology he take his images far beyond conventional painting or drawing with infinite artistic possibilities.
“In 1963, Csuri draws the portrait of an old woman, She’s Watching Superman, by tracing small black points with a pen, seeking a way to simulate a process of mechanical execution. “I wanted to know if I was able to operate like a machine.”The same year he develops a mechanical pantograph to procedurally modify and transform his drawings. He then discovers the computer to make imagery and the rest is history.
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Csuri begins with a creative idea and vision of how he wants a picture to be revealed. He choses from a library of interesting and beautiful objects he has continued to create for over 50 years . His tools are custom designed using propriety software to create his visionary computer art. Csuri masterfully controls numerous details in designing every aspect of his 3D world space. He then uses a random image generator that creates variations on his original designs. Every image has an element of surprise in a playful, more spontaneous approach to creating art. His artistic approach is unique “I’m an excited editor choosing from the multitude of image outcomes that best represent my artistic viewpoint”. I decide on the most visually effective way I can communicate an original idea and powerful emotion in my art.
“Randomness, Chance, Process: The Infinity Series Charles Csuri speaks of his infinite series as beginning in 1966 with his images Feeding Time and Random War ( Beyond Boundaries Catalogue pg. 25) and 24), both shown in the 1968 Cybernetic Serendipity show in London, making these among the earliest computer-based generative artwork. Experiences working with randomness and his artistic vision led to Csuri’s increased realization of infinite artistic possibilities with the computer in the role as a creative partner. What Csuri began exploring in the 1960s was a revolutionary approach to creating art is still on the cutting edge of the art world.” Beyond Boundaries Exhibition” Commentary.