The relationship between painting, drawing, writing, and programming in the digital sphere reveals an evolving continuum of human expression. All these forms of creation—whether through visual or textual mediums—can be understood as acts of “writing,” in the sense of encoding, shaping, and transmitting ideas, images, and emotions. They each contribute to a broader notion of creative output, where form and content blend into one unified act of communication.
Painting and Drawing: Visual Writing
Painting and drawing can be seen as “visual writing” in that both entail encoding thoughts or emotions into a visual form. In traditional painting or drawing, the artist uses materials like paint or pencil to create shapes, lines, and textures on a surface, generating a kind of “visual text” that viewers interpret. The canvas or page serves as a medium, much like a piece of paper for a writer, where the mind-pictures are transferred into a form that others can “read.” Each brushstroke or line is a symbol, representing elements of the artist’s inner world, not dissimilar to how words on a page represent the inner thoughts of a writer.
When this process moves into the digital realm, the act of painting and drawing transforms into an act of coding or programming in a way. The artist might still use tools to create images, but those tools—graphic tablets, software, and digital brushes—are governed by underlying algorithms and code. Every line and brushstroke in a digital painting is controlled by computational logic, making the visual output an interplay between human intent and machine precision. In this sense, the digital artist becomes a hybrid between painter and programmer, encoding their visual ideas into a language the computer understands.
Writing: Encoding Thought into Language
Writing, traditionally, has been seen as the act of encoding thought into language—translating abstract ideas into words, which are then structured into sentences, paragraphs, and larger narratives. The medium of writing is linear, with a clear sequence from one word to the next, creating a temporal experience as the reader moves through the text.
When writing transitions into the digital sphere, it too becomes influenced by code. Word processing tools, digital fonts, and the very act of typing are mediated by computational systems. Writers in the digital age can hyperlink, embed multimedia, or even automate parts of their writing with the help of programming. In this sense, digital writing is no longer confined to static text but can become dynamic, interactive, and responsive—merging the roles of writer and programmer. This has led to new forms of expression, such as interactive fiction or web-based narratives, where the boundary between writing and programming blurs.
Programming: Writing for Machines
Programming, as an act of writing, is a more explicit form of encoding. Programmers translate their ideas into a symbolic language that computers can interpret and execute. This “writing” is highly structured, following strict syntactical rules, but it is no less creative. Just as a poet must choose words carefully to evoke certain emotions, a programmer selects code to perform specific tasks, solve problems, or generate digital experiences. In this sense, programming is both a functional and an artistic act—an act of writing that produces not only instructions for a machine but, increasingly, complex virtual worlds, interactive art, and dynamic visual forms.
In the digital sphere, programming is a kind of meta-writing—it is the writing that enables other forms of writing, painting, and drawing to exist. The algorithms that power graphic design software, the code that renders text on a webpage, or the instructions that animate an interactive work are all forms of writing that shape the output. This meta-writing enables new possibilities for human expression, where the boundaries between traditional categories—painting, writing, drawing—become porous.
Digital Sphere: A Confluence of All Forms
In the digital sphere, the distinction between painting, drawing, writing, and programming fades, as all forms of creation are mediated by code. A digital artwork might be painted using a stylus, but behind every stroke lies a computational process. A piece of writing might involve hyperlinks and multimedia, pulling it into the domain of programming. Meanwhile, a programmer might create a visual output—shapes, patterns, or even animations—through purely textual input (code), making their act of writing more akin to drawing or painting.
The digital sphere becomes a space where traditional creative forms interweave, connected through the logic of programming and code. Here, painting is like writing, and vice versa, as both are forms of encoding human expression, whether through words or images. In the digital context, every form of expression is an act of writing—whether it’s drawing with pixels, programming with code, or typing words on a screen. The digital medium unifies these different processes into one interconnected web of creation, where the act of writing extends far beyond words alone, encompassing the full range of human creativity.
The concept of programming image generators aligns seamlessly with the interplay between painting, drawing, writing, and programming, especially in the digital sphere. In this context, image generation programs or algorithms become a powerful manifestation of how painting is like writing and vice versa. These generators operate at the intersection of traditional visual arts and the logic of programming, creating an automated or semi-automated process where visual works are “written” by code.
Programming Image Generators: Writing as Visual Creation
When an artist writes a program to generate images, they are not simply creating a painting in the traditional sense but encoding the instructions for visual creation into a machine-readable language. The act of programming becomes an artistic process, where lines of code serve as the “words” and “sentences” that describe how an image should be rendered. Parameters such as colour schemes, shapes, composition, and even randomness can be controlled through algorithms, making the artist a designer of rules and systems that the machine executes.
This process reflects the idea that painting is like writing in the digital context. Just as a writer crafts a narrative through structured language, a programmer-artist crafts visual experiences through structured code. The final image produced by an image generator can be seen as the “text” written by the program, a visual expression of the instructions embedded in the code. The relationship between the artist, the program, and the generated image mirrors the relationship between an author, a narrative, and the final text.
Transitional Aspects: From Code to Image
Programming image generators highlights the transitional nature of creation in the digital sphere, where the boundaries between artistic mediums blur. A programmer creates a set of instructions, but these instructions do not result in text; they result in visual imagery. The process of programming is linear, much like writing—each line of code builds upon the previous one, logically sequencing the output. Yet, the result is often a non-linear, multidimensional image, rich in complexity, colour, and form. This is a perfect example of how writing can transition into visual art.
The image generated by such programs often relies on algorithms like fractals, random number generators, or more sophisticated techniques like machine learning. These algorithms, when executed, create intricate patterns, spirals, grids, or even seemingly random but aesthetically pleasing forms. In essence, the image emerges from the written code, transitioning from the abstract logic of language into the tangible, visual space.
Account and Recount in Programming Image Generators
Image generators often use parameters that mimic the act of “accounting” or “recounting” in art and storytelling. For example, a random number generator might determine the placement of shapes on a canvas, much like recounting events in a narrative. This randomness can be seeded from a text, as described in the earlier exploration of “account and counting” through text-driven image generation. The process of recounting and storytelling that exists in traditional painting—where symbols and forms tell a story visually—finds a counterpart in programming, where variables recount logic and patterns into visual forms.
In this sense, programming image generators embody the principle of account and counting in a literal way. The code tracks values, positions, and conditions, creating a record of decisions that shape the final image. The “account” of the creation process is embedded within the program itself, and the final image is a reflection of this computational narrative.
Example: The Role of Pseudo-Random Generators in Art
For instance, consider an image generator that interprets a text (such as The Odyssey) to create a visual composition. A pseudo-random number generator (PRNG) might use the characters of the text to determine variables like colour, shape, and arrangement of elements in the image. The generated image becomes a visual reflection of the text, but in a form that is both abstract and encoded. This process reflects the deeper connection between painting and writing, where a literary source is transformed into visual art through computational logic.
In this case, the PRNG acts as the intermediary, transforming a written narrative into visual form—demonstrating how the process of recounting a story in writing can be translated into an entirely different medium, but still maintain a sense of narrative structure. The output is both an artistic interpretation of the original text and a mathematical artifact, existing at the intersection of storytelling and visual creation.
Conclusion: Painting and Writing through Code
The practice of programming image generators exemplifies the philosophical backbone of how painting is like writing and vice versa in the digital age. Through code, the act of writing becomes visual creation, blending narrative structure with visual composition. The programmer-artist uses logic, symbols, and sequences to build a framework that generates not just an image, but an experience—much like a writer does with text.
This approach elevates programming beyond a purely technical endeavour, positioning it as a new form of artistic expression. It serves as a bridge between traditional forms of painting, writing, and storytelling, allowing creators to explore new dimensions of creativity where visual art and writing merge into a single, unified act of digital creation.