冷之二（电脑绘） 2004

Xu Hongming made this "computer drawing," 冷之二, pixel by pixel, block by block, in shades of blue. Imagine him at his screen, building this grid, and thinking, "What does it mean to make a painting on a computer? How can a machine capture feeling?" He probably thought about Agnes Martin, who made quiet, meditative paintings. Each pixel is like a brushstroke, but it's also not like one. You don’t get the texture or the drag of the brush, but you do get this cool, almost detached feeling. This digital medium, this matrix, offers a different way of thinking about mark-making, about how we build up an image, and about what it means to be handmade versus machine-made. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, using new tools to explore old questions. Painting isn't just about putting paint on canvas; it’s about how we see, think, and feel our way through the world.