Max Etenrity @ Art Digital Magazine - As far as I know, it was the career of Andy Warhol that put into perspective the coexistence of graphic art and fine art.  For a decade or more Warhol had reigned as one of the most sought out illustrative graphic designers in New York; being known particularly for his sophisticated yet whimsical renderings of women’s shoes  and children's book illustrations, including "The Little Red Hen."

Pre-Warhol, historically speaking, with rare exception, it was virtually unheard of for an illustrator to be considered a fine art, visual artist.   Sure, there were always great illustrators, Erté was one of my favorites. and Maxwell Parrish was successful (to an extent) in melding commercial and fine art.  Still, essentially no matter how talented, a great graphic artist could pretty much count on being pigeon-holed; forever regulated to the world of ephemera.

Enter the digital, and the art scene has been forever changed.  All has shifted, and career fields that were once polarized — programming and painting — sculpture and automation — fashion and algorithms — are now permanently fused.  With the work of Dawid Michalczyk and others, how we see art is changed forever.

Art is art…end of story.