Ben F. Laposky

Benjamin Francis Laposky (1914–2000) was an American mathematician, artist and draftsman from Cherokee, Iowa. He has been credited with making the first computer graphics, utilizing an oscilloscope as the creation medium for abstract art. In 1953 he released what he called "Oscillons" (or oscillogram designs) along with a corresponding thesis entitled "Electronic Abstractions" via a gallery exhibition of fifty pictures of the same name at Sanford Museum in Cherokee. Laposky is often credited as the pioneer for electronic art, more specifically in the analog vector medium.

Early life He was born September 30, 1914, on a farm south of Cherokee to Peter Paul and Leona Anastasia (Gabriel) Laposky. His siblings were named George and Raymond. At age four, his family relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 1931, Laposky's mother died. In 1932, Laposky graduated from St. Mary's High School and shortly thereafter, the family returned to Cherokee, where he began working as a sign painter and draftsman.

Career

Military service Laposky joined the United States Army and was inducted into Fort Des Moines in 1942. He scored 134 in his army general classifications test, which placed him up in the upper five percent of what the army classified as "the ability to learn rapidly"; his mechanical aptitude test was 145. he took extension courses in elementary drafting from the University of Chicago.

In 1950, Laposky used a cathode ray oscilloscope with sine wave generators and various other electrical and electronic circuits to create abstract art, so called by the artist, "electrical compositions". These electrical vibrations shown on the screen of the oscilloscope were then recorded using still photography. In later work he also incorporated motorized rotating filters of variable speed to color the patterns.

Scripta Mathematica published the first Oscillon photographs in 1952. Laposky's work was featured in over 250 books, magazines, newspapers, advertising art work worldwide.

Some praise of the Oscillon work by Laposky: "The Oscillons are among the most sensually and spiritually exhilarating images of the entire history of human vision,".

Magic Squares From 1934 through August 1946, Ripley's Believe It or Not! had printed 77 of Laposky's Magic Square number problems. It is likely that Laposky's early work in these Magic Squares and deeper introspection into their inner workings had profound influence on his latter work on Oscillons.

Legacy Ben Laposky died in 2000 in Cherokee. His original one-man show of black and white Oscillons, along with 52 additional color images, is curated and controlled by the Sanford Museum and Planetarium in Cherokee, Iowa. The museum's collection contains various commercial works and books in which Laposky was mentioned.

None of the 10,000 negatives he claimed to have taken have ever been found, and only 101 mounted images of the original set of 102 remain.

The original traveling show, along with some additional works, is maintained and periodically shown by the Sanford Museum and often travels to museums and universities internationally.