Natzke: Music to My Eyes

One of the first artists I discovered when I ventured into the realm of computational and generational art was Erik Natzke. I have since been following his blog and eagerly awaiting the arrival of some recent work. Summer dreams do come true.

In his recent post about Color Mining he also pointed to a flickr gallery titled Colors of Nature, which is a series leading up to a gallery show this September. I have always found his past work stunning, and have even considered purchasing a print or two of his images (which says a lot considering that, as a graduate student, I hardly have the money to cover the costs of groceries). These latest images give me butterflies in my stomach. Good ones. I find myself literally gasping and moaning with sheer aesthetic pleasure as I click through the album. Be sure to look at the large versions of each.

My response is intensely visceral—extraordinary enough that what I feel verges on synaesthesia. I want these images to rain on me, pour out of pipes onto my living room floor so that I can bathe in and wrap myself up in a swaddle of colorful indulgence. While previous sets have made my synapses hum sympathetically, these ones seem to resonate within my mind inducing pleasure like some sort of cerebral vibrator. My heartstrings have been pulled, massaged, then melted. Remarkable work.

Congratulations, Erik. You’ve officially surpassed my own vivid experience with Rothko. I’m still writhing in awe . . . It will take me months to dissect this experience. Thank you.