Can Tablet Computers Really Challenge Canvases?

For thousands of years artists have created their masterpieces on many different types of canvases and materials, from linen and cotton over the centuries through to ultra modern metal and vinyl to showcase artwork this industry has evolved. In recent years a perhaps unlikely challenger in the form of computer tablets has forced its way in to art world with both artists and art fans alike using them to showcase their favourite pieces of art. In 2010 globally renowned artist David Hockney decided to put down his paintbrush and create an exhibition with art through Ipads, not canvases. Many artists have followed his lead, creating art through interactive, online programmes without picking up a brush and just using their finger on the touch screen tablets as an alternative. Apple, the creator of Ipad's have thousands of art applications available to download, some suit more experienced artists while others have training for novices.

Around the UK there are a lot of chic bars, cafes and galleries that are turning to interactive art in a bid to get the younger generation creating their own works of art and increasing the passion for finger painting. With the popularity of art being created by using computer tablets on the increase, should traditional art lovers, critiques and artists be worrying about the impact it will have on fine art on canvases or will it be embraced as a new style of art instead of a challenger to age old techniques? Time is always the best judge of how well a sweeping style of art will dominate or fade away in some cases. In the last half century there have been many new styles of art such as pop, graffiti, metal, street and urban art to name a few that have emerged and grown in popularity on a global scale. There will always be a demand for canvases and canvas prints from a cost perspective, after all it would cost thousands of pounds as a minimum investment to decorate a whole property with Ipads or other tablets, again time may change that issue; we shall watch this eagerly.