The art world says goodbye to a digital art pioneer, Fantagraphics publishes a new retrospective of Dan DeCarlo’s work, and Microsoft discontinues the HoloLens. Read more in Post Rendered’s news roundup for October 2024.
Microsoft HoloLens is being discontinued
EuroGamer reported that Microsoft will discontinue its HoloLens headsets.
HoloLens provided a mixed reality VR experience. It initially made waves in 2015 with a (never released) Minecraft prototype. The device’s second generation, HoloLens 2, was never marketed as a consumer device, but was widely adopted by private enterprise, including in the healthcare and military industries.
Artist Marina Abramović was even featured in the advertising campaign for HoloLens 2, though Microsoft pulled the advertisement after critics began hurling allegations of Satanic rituals at Abramović – which she vehemently denied. Her 2016 work The Life used HoloLens 2 and sold at Christie’s in 2020 for $300, 856 USD, being the first mixed-reality artwork to ever be sold at auction.
Lilian Schwartz passes away at 97
ArtNews reported that digital art pioneer Lillian Schwartz passed away at 97. She was the first female artist in residence at Bell Labs, and believed that computers were key to unraveling the mysteries of the modern world.
Some of her most notable early works include Pixelation (1970), UFOs (1971), and Olympiad (1971). She also worked on analyzing Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa while at Bell Labs, and would use an image produced for her research on the subject as the cover of her 1992 book The Computer Artist’s Handbook.
Metal Hurlant to launch an English edition
Humanoids formally announced an English language edition of the new Metal Hurlant run will be released next year. Each issue will contain over 250 pages of material and will be released quarterly.
While it wasn’t made clear in the announcement whether these will be direct translations of the currently running French publication verbatim or a rearranging of material from that run, the press release did state that there will be content from “quintessential creators” including Trina Robbins and Robert Crumb, archival material from the magazine’s past, as well as new content from “international superstars”.
The magazine is set to launch in Spring 2025 and will be available through comic stores, news stands, and via Kickstarter. (Via Humanoids)
Post Rendered Recommends: Innocence and Seduction: The Art of Dan DeCarlo: Expanded Edition
Fantagraphics’ 248-page book retrospective of Archie cartoonist Dan DeCarlo’s work released on October 15, 2024 and includes nearly 350 illustrations and strips. It can be purchased from the Fantagraphics website.