The Matrix of Sensations
People may argue against the digital realm as an artistic medium, that the digitization of artwork will detract from haptic stimulation found in analogue artwork. In his article titled "The Matrix of Sensations," Donald Kuspit explores the wealth of possibilities arising when paint becomes pixels. Impressionists recognize that appearance is comprised of different sensation, referred to as the "Matrix of Sensations." These sensations cannot add up to a complete representation, as no object itself is entirely real. So, the Impressionists use real objects to represent novel visions. This pattern was broken by Édouard Manet, a french painter, who tried to represent the "Matrix of Sensation" itself, rather than an object. With Georges Seurat's artwork consisting of organized mosaic-like points, many say it is he who introduced the world to digital art. Years later, Douglas Engelbart invented bit mapping technology, or the ability to display bits as a pixel on a computer screen. This was the dawn of digital art as we know it today.