Rathores blog

A few years ago, while Steve Jobs showed an image of the intersection between Technology and Liberal Arts, a respectful silence filled the audience. It turned out to be a herald of what was about to come. It's true that, for a while now, technology has been used by artists to give wings to the creative process. Computers and software have become helpful tools to create, develop and finish all kinds of art. But in most cases, it's been just for professional users.

The revolution in digital art has intensified with the advent of iGadgets. Digital musical instruments, which cost thousands of dollars and were restricted to a small group of wealthy individuals, are now sold for nine dollars and can function on iPhones or iPads. The sounds, let me say, are rich and dynamic, and the apps are incredible. I bet some of the latest hits have used iGadget-produced sounds and most music fans are unable to tell the difference. The same holds true for all forms of art. You don't need a typewriter to write a book anymore, I know that it's different when it comes to music or oil-on-canvas, but the kind of prejudice that some artists hold against digital resources is oftentimes exaggerated; after all, what counts is the art itself and not whether or not the final artwork was achieved through digital tools.

Photography, for example, is quite controversial. The distance between professional and amateur photographers has been narrowing. Nowadays, the technology does almost everything and, to make matters easier, it's available on your phone, ff you really like photography, you'll dedicate more of your time to it. Professional photographers will make a living from this, traveling to war zones, running risks, living in the middle of nowhere in Africa for 6 months to get that outstanding photo or 10 seconds of film, and no iGadget will ever change this, but the ability to create beautiful images is available to everyone.

Music, painting, drawing, writing, photography and cinema—the Arts are the ultimate stage for technology. We should allow those tools to be available when creativity pops up, when eyes shine, when inspiration touches.

That's what it's all about.

The audience went silent just listening to Steve Jobs, for they understood that those words showed the true and inspirational vision of what could be accomplished through technology; magical tools waiting for creative hands and a keen eye.

"It's in Apple's DNA that technology alone is not enough — it's technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our heart sing and nowhere is that more true than in these post-PC devices."

I could also mention another inspired piece of work—an animated film from Disney about a tiny and humble being, the gourmet mouse in Ratatouille. The great French chef Gusteau had a motto, "Everyone can cook", which also reminds me of another statement from a food critic: "Not everyone can be a great artist, but great artists can emerge from anywhere".