Nov 30 2009That's Not Even 8-Bit!: Video Game Paintings

FORST

Thats it? Thats "art" that took 2 minutes to do and now its on the internet, was this made by a kid?

pretty lame

Isn't that the game where the big donkey kong guy throws the barrels down and the little donkey kong guy has to jump over them? I mean, I'm no video game expert (obviously), but I'm pretty sure that's the one...

Huh, lots of updates already today GW, I'm impressed. Not by this 'art' though, it looks as if a pre-school student has done it. That said, I do kinda like the last one.

OMG! Donkey Kong and Dig Dug? That's awesome!!
(i'm ignoring the second one, which I am guessing is astroids?)

Donkey Kong, Missile Defender and Dig Dug. I like it.

@deb: yeah I'm pretty sure it's Donkey Kong, as far as I know, the first game you play as Mario in.

Most modern art is people saying "I could have done that" but not actually taking the time to do it.

@4 - I'm pretty sure you are an idiot.

Monkeys can't be donkeys, you idiot! *Shakes fist*

@11 Professor Farnsworth?

The second one is Missile Command. Read the article before you jump to the comments to say whatever clever thing you thought you had to say.

I for one, actually think these are pretty cool. It's not every day you see a new idea in the art world, and I think taking old video games and painting a simple interpretation of them was a good idea. The holidays can be hard on everyone. Just sayin'....

@10 Can I add 6 and 8 to the list?

@9 Can I add 6 and 8 to the list? make that 14 aswell

@11 nice futurama reference
@6 GW said it was Missile Command in the post

i'd like to see brooke paint something a little less 8-bit

Geeze, this is art?

I bet even Marla Olmstead could've done that without her dad's help...

I, dunno

meh... These donkey kong, missle command & dig dug paintings look like they took a good 5 minutes each

..missile command, just sayin

The Missile Command one is awesome. I'd buy it.

These are awesome! If a 5 year old had done these, we wouldn't be able to recognize them -- I knew instantly which games were represented. This is probably the same criticism the Impressionists got when they first showed their novel capture of light on big poofy dresses and bales of hay.

It's ok, your knee-jerk derision keeps the prices low for would-be art buyers, while laying the groundwork for an explosion in value!

sooo.... the bar for art has been lowered substantially for the day? Let me draw something in response to @1 then, maybe someone will make a shirt out of it

http://i19.tinypic.com/4u15xdg.png

Minus the paint drip...I like the dig-dug piece.

I don't normally slam art because to each his own, but dumbing down 8 bit with finger paint-esque pieces just doesn't do it for me personally. People have seen and played the "smudged" versions of these for 25 years. Lets go ahead and add some detail, throw in some creative aspect (ie furniture, wall art, clothing, "live" pics, sculpture, etc), and/or find some interesting stuff to do with the old consoles, game cases, controllers.

Sorry guys...not so hot on this one, but can see how a collection of these in a hallway or gameroom or something might be somewhat fun and/or interesting.

PS. Naas...let me know where to get the shirt. Nice!!!

@24 heh let's see if zombieteeco.com won't do something with it

Seriously, 'modern' art pisses me off so much I can hardly explain it. To me it's just a massive scam. How is that art? Some pre-schooler with some poster paints could have done that. To call that art is just insulting to all the real artists out there.

i like the dig dug one but i guess thats cause i feel that you shouldnt go below 8-bits for visual.. its just not right

its donkeykong....missile command and digdug

@28 kthks we had noidea

@25, I thought it was 'zombie taco' for a second and I almost wanted one.

@30 never been with an undead girl before... have you?

Just to be a voice of opposition. I actually think there amazing, and yes childlike. To quote Picasso: All children are born artists, the trick is to remain one as you grow up.

Quoting Picasso? Yup. Pretentious? You bet.

@32 "they're amazing and childlike" - like your vocabulary

Even I know that Donkey Kong does not have blue balls! Lunacy!

@32

Not understanding the difference between "they're" and "there"? Most certainly.

Didn't know Helen Keller could paint.

i like it,
donkey kong, missile defence and dig dug, obv!!!

aaaaaarrrrrrrrrg! i eat all small children and a few indonesian fruit!!!!

stop saying: "just sayin"

@ 10 "Most modern art is people saying "I could have done that" but not actually taking the time to do it." This isn't genius art here. It's facile and forgettable, banking on the cred of the original "artists" who slaved many hours making those classic games. Past initial recognition, there's not much value left, as artistic feats they are substandard. Might as well have taken some screen shots and "posterized" them (probably someone has.) To each his own, and not all art has to be hard but when the execution is this simplistic; it's value is proportionate.

M*ther.....
i dont give a shit about the paintings, but the comments killed me...

You say Brock painted these? From Pokemon? No wonder they suck - his eyes are too squinty to make out the 8-bit details.

Actually, why do we have to have the "Is it Art?" discussion here? These are funny, fun, and not everyone has to appreciate them.

I know it's hard living in a world where not everyone appreciates your esoteric brand of humor or appreciates your genius, but when you reflexively dismiss anything that pretends to be even mildly interesting, you mostly reveal your own insecurities. I would know -- I did that daily back when I was in high school. Strengthen your egos a little and this vast sea of culture surging around you won't seem so personally threatening.

Hey... I actually kinda like it!! Especially the Dig Dug one!

I like it. Maybe it's just a comparison of video games old an new, symbolizing the simplicity of whatever the first one is, Missile Command, and Dig Dug. Or maybe he's just having fun, taking old boring screen shots and turning them into art. I like his brushwork. Whatever you people want to say about it, it is still modern. The point is not to exhibit artistic mastery, but to elicit some sort of response. Whether that is pleasure or disgust, it is not ignored, and it makes you think, talk, and revel. Ok, maybe not the last one.
Pwned.

all of you would be saying this art is amazing if it was done in colored sand

What does it matter if they took 2 minutes are 6 hours? The result is still an abstract representation of something we all love, video games! Art isn't defined by the amount of time it takes to create.

Personally I'd rather have this hung on my wall than some ultra-realistic painting of a horse; my god you sound like grandpa's.

Also how boring would it be if they were hyper realistic? They'd just look like posters of game renderings .... pretty boring if you ask me.

Although I am clearly a designer amongst non-designers; I guess I should be happy that I'm lucky enough to appreciate visual mediums without that tired old dog, realism.

It's not even a painting: Video game smudges rendered in under thirty seconds.

I jizzed my pants. And it was art.

Now I've got the Donkey Kong music circling in my head, which was, no doubt, the artist's intention. Damn you! (doodle doodle doot doo do doot; doodle doodle doot DOOT DOO DOOT!...) Arrggh!

@50 I just opened my window and a breeze rolled in

@43 You're a c*nt

I like the look of these. Of course not so much that I would pay for them, which is why I'm thanking GW for posting them on his site. THANKS GW FOR THE FREE PAINTINGS ON THE INTERWEBZ!!!

all of you would be saying this art is amazing if it was done in colored sand

The game looks like lode runner to me..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lode_runner