Aaron's Code: Meta-Art, Artificial Intelligence and the Work of Harold Cohen

by Pamela McCorduck

"Aaron's Code" tells the story of the first profound connection between art and computer technology. Here is the work of Harold Cohen - the renowned abstract painter who, at the height of a celebrated career in the late 1960's, abandoned the international scene of museums and galleries and sequestered himself with the most powerful computers he could get his hands on. What emerged from his long years of solitary struggle is an elaborate computer program that makes drawings autonomously, without human intervention - an electronic apprentice and alter ego called Aaron.

225 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1990

Reviews

[to'c · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. McCorduck does an exemplary job of introducing and explaining Aaron, an artist created by and programmed by the meta-artist Harold Cohen. I've long been fascinated by Aaron, even writing some programs influenced by my very pro understanding of what Aaron does and how Aaron works. Tho', I guess, not so fascinated to not leave this on my shelf for 8 years and reading it 25 years after it was published. Sigh.

Aaron is undeniably an artificial intelligence, but of a different sort than is making the headlines these days. It was written in the days when AI research was all about discovering how we think, not just an exercise in cellular network optimization. Not to disparage the current trend but I don't know that it tells us much about how we think, other than on the "bare metal" level of neurons. Indeed, when Mr. Cohen started writing Aaron's predecessor he wasn't even aware that such a thing as artificial intelligence existed. He saw the computer as a wy to codify and test his theories on how art is made. At the time he was considered to be one of the premier painters in the world, being invited to represent two nations in two of the yearly Bienniels, doing solo exhibitions the world over, being asked to instruct at various art schools. He was some hot stuff, Harold Cohen was.

Then he gave it all up. He left the art world and put his painting on hold for something like 30 years to focus on Aaron and do private research into what it meant to be an artist. "Cohen" still did solo exhibitions but the work presented was all done by Aaron. Now, seeing that Mr. Cohen created Aaron could it be said that Cohen's work was actually on display? A question deftly handled by Ms. McCorduck from various angles.

This is a fascinating read whether you approach it with and interest in art, an interest in computing, an interest in philosophy, an interest in sociology, or whatever.

[Antonina Korepanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and wide explanation of the context of contemporary art in general, and the work of Harold cohen in particular. The originality and the outstanding creative way of the meta-artist is explained brilliantly. Maybe it was me, but sometimes the book was hard to read.