It’s a question that has been asked time and time again: why is it taboo to mix digital art with fine art and call it mixed media? Many have argued that the two are not mutually exclusive, but the debate continues to rage on. In order to understand why this divide exists, we must look at how digital art has evolved over the past few decades and how its reception in the art world differs from traditional fine art.

The Rise of Digital Art
Digital art is a relatively new concept, as it was only developed during the early 2000s. At this time, technology was beginning to advance rapidly with computers becoming more accessible to the average person. With these advancements came a wave of digital artists who explored what could be done with this new medium.

Early works of digital art were created using programs like Photoshop or GIMP, which allowed users to manipulate images in ways that could not have been done before. This led to an explosion of creativity as some began experimenting with photo manipulation while others focused on creating entirely original works of art through graphic design. However, even though these works of art were created digitally, they lacked something that many traditional works had: they were not tangible. That meant that they lacked texture, depth, and weight — all essential elements for traditional artwork.

The Difference in Reception
As a result, digital artists often found themselves at odds with traditional fine artists when showing their work in galleries or museums. While both types of artwork may be aesthetically pleasing and technically impressive, there was still a divide between them because one was physical while the other was purely visual. This has made it difficult for some galleries and museums to accept digital artwork into their collections since they lack something tangible — something that can be touched or held — which is seen as essential for traditional artwork. As such, many institutions refuse to consider any form of digital artwork as part of their collections unless it is presented alongside physical pieces such as paintings or sculptures.

Through understanding the differences between digital art and fine art we can begin to understand why mixing them together is viewed as so taboo by some people in the art world—but it doesn’t have to be—as both types have their place in the world of visual arts today! Even though these two forms may differ in terms of technique or materiality, they still can create beautiful pieces when blended together into a single work. Though opinions will always vary on whether mixing digital art with traditional pieces creates true mixed media pieces or simply blends two different mediums together into one piece; either way its certainly an interesting concept worth exploring! Ultimately you should never let anyone tell you what you can create – so keep pushing boundaries no matter what kind of mediums you choose!

Let me know what you think in the comments

• Have you ever been to an art gallery and seen a digital art piece? What did you think?
• Do you think that there is a divide between digital art and fine art? Why or why not?
• How do you think the definition of “art” will change in the future?
• Do you think that digital art is as valuable as traditional fine art? Why or why not?
• What kind of impact do you think digital art will have on the art world in the future?