Applied Art: Artistry Found

“The difference between applied art and fine art is one of ultimate purpose. Fine art is produced simply for aesthetic purposes, where the end result is found visually appealing to the viewer. Applied art is also aesthetic, but with an interactive design or a problem-solving goal that is part of a greater purpose.”

Trithemian Web™ Cryptograms possess all three features – aesthetics, an interactive design and a problem-solving goal.

Eden Gallery: Applied Arts

“Works of fine art are often defined as high arts because they serve no purpose other than providing aesthetic or intellectual stimulus to people who view it and are designed to increase the aesthetic appeal of the room they are put in.

In contrast to fine art, applied arts make functional objects more aesthetically pleasing. That means that these objects are designed so that the results are useful and aesthetically enjoyable at the same time.”

Oxford Reference: Applied Arts

“Term describing the design or decoration of functional objects so as to make them aesthetically pleasing.”

I took a relatively bland, 70’s bar challenge, dressed it up and made it the focal point of my cryptograms.

Transmutation: The action of changing or the state of being changed into another form.

What recognized art movement closely defines my Trithemian Web™ Cryptograms? One movement might be Abstract Art.

Encyclopedia Britannica

“Abstract art, also called nonobjective art or nonrepresentational art, painting, sculpture, or graphic art in which the portrayal of things from the visible world plays little or no part.”

Another possibility might be Conceptual Art. The term was coined by the artist and critic Lawrence Alloway in the mid-1960’s. It was used to refer to the work of certain artists who were involved in the Fluxus group. It has since been used to describe any artwork, visual or otherwise, that intends to communicate an idea or message without being confined by a traditional medium or style. My Trithemian Web™ Cryptograms are confined to a particular medium and style. Although my work can reside within the Conceptual Art movement, I prefer a more precise categorization.

The Art Story Foundation lists 156 total movements. They state that “digital art is not recognized as a distinct movement in and of itself.” My work would definitely fit into that movement when and if it is recognized.

There are no art movements today, “says Michael Rooks, Wieland Family curator of modern & contemporary art at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta (2021).” In response I decided to coin a new movement, one that better defines my unique work.

The term Abstract Expressionism was coined by the American critic Harold Rosenberg in 1952. This movement is generally regarded as having begun with the paintings done by Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) and Willem de Kooning in the late 1940s and early ’50s. Even though Pollock did not coin the movement, he was the creator of a definitive style.

July 11, 2022 – Since the aforementioned movements don’t take into account the interaction needed to decipher a Trithemian Web™, I decided to coin a new movement –  Linear Transmutation: The metamorphosis of specifically defined linear graphics into a traditional substitution cipher delivered through a digital or traditional medium.

I am the only designer in this movement at present, but I invite other artists/designers to join in. Contact me for details. I invite you to read My Story – a fifty year history of my cryptogram development.