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General Discussion / The History of Pixel Art
« on: February 02, 2016, 12:21:22 am »
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3rd millennium BCE
The first mosaics appear in Mesopotamia. The art form would reach new heights with the Greeks beginning in the 4th century BCE.
A cave canem (beware of dog) mosaic from Pompeii, 1st century CE
3rd century BCE
The date of the earliest tapestries, products of Hellenistic Greece.
A section of the oldest extant European tapestry, the Överhogdal tapestry, created between 800 and 1100 CE, during the Viking Age.
2nd century BCE
The date of the earliest cross-stitching.
Nazca cross-stitch sampler, Peru. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
modern example of cross-stitching: McCall's Pheasants pattern 114-T from the 1970's
c1500 CE
Wampum belts are made by the Eastern Woodland tribes or North America. The shell bead creations were used as a form of gift exchange and certificates of authority, and were later used by Europeans as a form of currency.
Reproduction wampum belts at the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario
1589
Renaissance needlework patterns predict pixel art.
Pattern found in Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Pourtaicts, Federico de Vinciolo, 1589.
c1875
Colonial American furniture employs a decoration strikingly similar to modern pixel art.
American music cabinet with dyed wood inlays, c.1875, collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts
1886
Neo-Impressionist movement founded by Georges Seurat, featuring the Pointilist and Divisionist techniques.
La Dance by Jean Metzinger, 1906 ; Parade de Cirque by Georges Seurat, 1887-1888
1910
The first card stunt is performed by students of UC Berkeley during a rugby match against Stanford University, building on fabric stunts between the two teams dating back to 1904. in 1922, The University of California, Santa Cruz performed the first animated crowed stunt.
Example of a modern card stunt at North Korea's Mass Games
-
1927
An electronic CRT television demonstrated by Philo Farnsworth in San Francisco, based on the work of Farnsworth, Vladimir Zworykin, Boris Rosing, and many others.
Farnsworth holding a Cathode Ray Tube beside an early electric television
1929
The term “Picture Element” appears in books by H. Horton Sheldon and Edgar Norman Grisewood and is used by RCA researcher Alfred N. Goldsmith.
1957
Russell Kirsch creates the first digital image, a 176x176 px image of his son with a bit depth of 1 bit per pixel. Shades of gray were made possible by combining scans made at different thresholds.
1962
Peg boards for plastic bead designs are patented, popular today as a method of recreating video game sprites.
1964
George H. Heilmeier invents the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The technology improved and became more widespread in later decades, and pixel artists responded by adjusting their techniques to address the improved picture quality.
1965
The term “pixel” is coined (picture element) in SPIE Proceedings articles by Fred C. Billingsley of Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and begins propagating within the image processing and video coding field.
1967
Hasbro's Lite-Brite hits toy store shelves.
1972
Atari releases Pong, the first commercially successful video game
1973
SuperPaint is released, a pioneering graphics program and framebuffer computer system. SuperPaint was one of the first to use a graphical user interface and anti-aliasing, and was developed Richard Shoup at Xerox PARC.
1977
Atari 2600 debuts in North America
Congo Bongo, 1983
1978
Taito releases Space Invaders, the first blockbuster arcade video game, responsible for starting the golden age of video arcade games.
1982
Susan Kare creates Apple icons
The term “pixel art” is coined by Adele Goldberg and Robert Flegel of Xerox PARC.
The Commodore 64, ColecoVision, and Sinclair ZX Spectrum debut
Sword & Sorcery, unreleased 1983 demo
Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper, 1987
Turrican, 1990
Zaxxon, the first isometric game, debuts
Pole Position debuts at the arcade as the first 16-bit video game
 released in Japan, marking the beginning of the 8-bit era of gaming[url=http://i.imgur.com/6juNuJ3.jpg][nozoom]http://i.imgur.com/qadaaNx.jpg)
1984
Amstrad CPC is released, joining the C64 and ZX Spectrum in the battle for the 8-bit home computer market.
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (Death Sword in the US), 1987
The BBC's Micro Live features an interview with pixel artist Lauretta Jones. You can find my 2018 interview with Lauretta on PixelJoint.
1985
Early demoscene groups form, like The Judges and 1001 Crew (originally 1001 & the Cracking Crew) working with the C64. According to foundering member Honey (Joost Honig), "[t]he words Cracking Crew [were] inspired by the break dance group Rock Steady Crew and was later imitated by many groups."
Commodore Amiga, Atari ST released
Flashback, 1992; Shadow of the Beast, 1989
Chaos Engine, 1993, by acclaimed developer The Bitmap Brothers.
DeluxePaint released on the Commodore Amiga. The DOS version would become the standard for pixel graphics in the 1990s.
1986
Famicom (NES) debuts in Japan
Super Mario Brothers, 1985
1987
TurboGrafx-16 is released, marking the beginning of the 16-bit era of gaming (though the console still uses an 8-bit CPU)
The Legendary Axe, 1988
1988
SEGA Mega Drive (SEGA Genesis in North America) is released in Japan
Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991
1989
Nintendo Game Boy released in Japan and North America
Pokemon Red, 1996
Atari Lynx is released in North America, the first handheld console with a color LCD.
Batman Returns, 1992
1990
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) released in Japan
Chrono Trigger, 1995
1991
Street Fighter II is released, reviving the arcade industry to a level of popularity not seen since Pac-Man, and beginning the renaissance of video arcade games
1992
SEGA Game Gear debuts in Japan.
1994
The Hagenuk MT-2000 debuts with Tetris installed, becoming the first mobile phone to feature a video game.
1996
Metal Slug debuts at the arcade
1997
Pixel art group eBoy is founded. The often-published group would become known for its clean style, pop culture influences, and massive isometric scenes ("pixoramas").
Snake, perhaps the most popular early cell phone game, is released on the Nokia 6610. It is also the first multi-player cell phone game, by way of the nokia's infrared port.
1998
Game Boy Color released worldwide
Star Ocean Blue Sphere, 2001
2001
Game Boy Advance released worldwide
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, 2004
2002?
Pixelation/Way of the Pixel created
2004
Cave Story is released for the PC by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya. This one-man project popularized a simple style of pixel art that made it easier for smaller indie teams to create the graphics for an entire game. Influences on the graphical style include Shigeru Miyamoto's 1981 Mario sprite (then known as Jumpman).
2004
PixelJoint is created, and soon becomes the most popular online pixel art gallery.
2011
The massively popular video game Minecraft is released, introducing a new generation to pixel art techniques on a global scale.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is released, popularizing a new style of pixel art that mixes retro nostalgia with filters, lens flares, and other newer techniques.
3rd millennium BCE
The first mosaics appear in Mesopotamia. The art form would reach new heights with the Greeks beginning in the 4th century BCE.
A cave canem (beware of dog) mosaic from Pompeii, 1st century CE
3rd century BCE
The date of the earliest tapestries, products of Hellenistic Greece.
A section of the oldest extant European tapestry, the Överhogdal tapestry, created between 800 and 1100 CE, during the Viking Age.
2nd century BCE
The date of the earliest cross-stitching.
Nazca cross-stitch sampler, Peru. Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
modern example of cross-stitching: McCall's Pheasants pattern 114-T from the 1970's
c1500 CE
Wampum belts are made by the Eastern Woodland tribes or North America. The shell bead creations were used as a form of gift exchange and certificates of authority, and were later used by Europeans as a form of currency.
Reproduction wampum belts at the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario
1589
Renaissance needlework patterns predict pixel art.
Pattern found in Les Singuliers et Nouveaux Pourtaicts, Federico de Vinciolo, 1589.
c1875
Colonial American furniture employs a decoration strikingly similar to modern pixel art.
American music cabinet with dyed wood inlays, c.1875, collection of the Detroit Institute of Arts
1886
Neo-Impressionist movement founded by Georges Seurat, featuring the Pointilist and Divisionist techniques.
La Dance by Jean Metzinger, 1906 ; Parade de Cirque by Georges Seurat, 1887-1888
1910
The first card stunt is performed by students of UC Berkeley during a rugby match against Stanford University, building on fabric stunts between the two teams dating back to 1904. in 1922, The University of California, Santa Cruz performed the first animated crowed stunt.
Example of a modern card stunt at North Korea's Mass Games
-
1927
An electronic CRT television demonstrated by Philo Farnsworth in San Francisco, based on the work of Farnsworth, Vladimir Zworykin, Boris Rosing, and many others.
Farnsworth holding a Cathode Ray Tube beside an early electric television
1929
The term “Picture Element” appears in books by H. Horton Sheldon and Edgar Norman Grisewood and is used by RCA researcher Alfred N. Goldsmith.
1957
Russell Kirsch creates the first digital image, a 176x176 px image of his son with a bit depth of 1 bit per pixel. Shades of gray were made possible by combining scans made at different thresholds.
1962
Peg boards for plastic bead designs are patented, popular today as a method of recreating video game sprites.
1964
George H. Heilmeier invents the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The technology improved and became more widespread in later decades, and pixel artists responded by adjusting their techniques to address the improved picture quality.
1965
The term “pixel” is coined (picture element) in SPIE Proceedings articles by Fred C. Billingsley of Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and begins propagating within the image processing and video coding field.
1967
Hasbro's Lite-Brite hits toy store shelves.
1972
Atari releases Pong, the first commercially successful video game
1973
SuperPaint is released, a pioneering graphics program and framebuffer computer system. SuperPaint was one of the first to use a graphical user interface and anti-aliasing, and was developed Richard Shoup at Xerox PARC.
1977
Atari 2600 debuts in North America
Congo Bongo, 1983
1978
Taito releases Space Invaders, the first blockbuster arcade video game, responsible for starting the golden age of video arcade games.
1982
Susan Kare creates Apple icons
The term “pixel art” is coined by Adele Goldberg and Robert Flegel of Xerox PARC.
The Commodore 64, ColecoVision, and Sinclair ZX Spectrum debut
Sword & Sorcery, unreleased 1983 demo
Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper, 1987
Turrican, 1990
Zaxxon, the first isometric game, debuts
Pole Position debuts at the arcade as the first 16-bit video game
1984
Amstrad CPC is released, joining the C64 and ZX Spectrum in the battle for the 8-bit home computer market.
Barbarian: The Ultimate Warrior (Death Sword in the US), 1987
The BBC's Micro Live features an interview with pixel artist Lauretta Jones. You can find my 2018 interview with Lauretta on PixelJoint.
1985
Early demoscene groups form, like The Judges and 1001 Crew (originally 1001 & the Cracking Crew) working with the C64. According to foundering member Honey (Joost Honig), "[t]he words Cracking Crew [were] inspired by the break dance group Rock Steady Crew and was later imitated by many groups."
Commodore Amiga, Atari ST released
Flashback, 1992; Shadow of the Beast, 1989
Chaos Engine, 1993, by acclaimed developer The Bitmap Brothers.
DeluxePaint released on the Commodore Amiga. The DOS version would become the standard for pixel graphics in the 1990s.
1986
Famicom (NES) debuts in Japan
Super Mario Brothers, 1985
1987
TurboGrafx-16 is released, marking the beginning of the 16-bit era of gaming (though the console still uses an 8-bit CPU)
The Legendary Axe, 1988
1988
SEGA Mega Drive (SEGA Genesis in North America) is released in Japan
Sonic the Hedgehog, 1991
1989
Nintendo Game Boy released in Japan and North America
Pokemon Red, 1996
Atari Lynx is released in North America, the first handheld console with a color LCD.
Batman Returns, 1992
1990
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) released in Japan
Chrono Trigger, 1995
1991
Street Fighter II is released, reviving the arcade industry to a level of popularity not seen since Pac-Man, and beginning the renaissance of video arcade games
1992
SEGA Game Gear debuts in Japan.
1994
The Hagenuk MT-2000 debuts with Tetris installed, becoming the first mobile phone to feature a video game.
1996
Metal Slug debuts at the arcade
1997
Pixel art group eBoy is founded. The often-published group would become known for its clean style, pop culture influences, and massive isometric scenes ("pixoramas").
Snake, perhaps the most popular early cell phone game, is released on the Nokia 6610. It is also the first multi-player cell phone game, by way of the nokia's infrared port.
1998
Game Boy Color released worldwide
Star Ocean Blue Sphere, 2001
2001
Game Boy Advance released worldwide
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, 2004
2002?
Pixelation/Way of the Pixel created
2004
Cave Story is released for the PC by Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya. This one-man project popularized a simple style of pixel art that made it easier for smaller indie teams to create the graphics for an entire game. Influences on the graphical style include Shigeru Miyamoto's 1981 Mario sprite (then known as Jumpman).
2004
PixelJoint is created, and soon becomes the most popular online pixel art gallery.
2011
The massively popular video game Minecraft is released, introducing a new generation to pixel art techniques on a global scale.
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP is released, popularizing a new style of pixel art that mixes retro nostalgia with filters, lens flares, and other newer techniques.
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