The last few posts have been about the new application the Devabulator, from the art community Deviantart. While many applications are currently being created that allow users to tag photos or search through clip art, I believe this Deviantart application is one of the more trusted widgets because it is created by a site that was created for artists and art enthusiasts alike. When it comes to underground art, the best place to learn about new artists is from people who have already discovered them. Deviantart takes these artists and compiles them into one database that is accessible to all of its users. While other websites allow users to upload their photos, deviantart is more dedicated to networking its users with each other, in the long run benefiting more people enthusiastic about art.

Networking has become a major cause of popularity among younger and newer artists. Because so many careers are determined by prominent galleries and collectors, it is essential that an artist become familiar with these key people. A site like deviantart, although not on the scale of established galleries, can provide artists with competitions to submit art, the ability to message fellow artists, as well as a chance to sell their art to subscribers. Even though this is on a smaller scale than galleries, the growing popularity of web based shopping and business allows the deviantart users to reach a wider audience, as well as provide them with a better chance of discovery and popularity. All of these tools are deviantart’s way of networking artists with buyers and other artists. In the end, the people who are interested in finding new artists to follow will have a better chance of finding people within their field of interest by searching a site that provides them with thousands of pieces, rather than the select collections a gallery will present.

The Devabulator takes the idea of devinatart one step further by providing a search tool that is not connected to the internet. By rotating pictures on one’s desktop, a person can quickly glance through photos, paintings, graphic designs, animations, etc, quickly without interrupting their work. Much like a digital frame that can be set to any speed of rotation, the devabulator filters images based on the users specifications at a rate determined by them as well. Since almost every aspect of pop culture is based on convenience and quickness, the davabulator gives art enthusiasts the chance to discover new artists at a speed that matches their busy lifestyles. Not only is modern culture becoming quicker, it is becoming more computer and web based as well. An artist does not reach as many viewers if they choose the display their work in local galleries, but if they publish their work on a widget like the devabulator, there is a better chance that more people will search through the images than if they were to enter a gallery. Already, galleries are linked to satellite locations in the major cities, like Los Angeles, New York, and London, but for those who do not live in an art based city, they still have a chance to appreciate art by searching for it online.

This widget is the first step to an appreciation of art without the gallery as the means to view art. By creating something that is web and computer based, deviantart is supplying more people with the ability to incorporate art into their lives. I think that more companies should create the ability to publish portfolios from artists of every different level because it provides a more comprehensive collection of web based artists. Rather than keeping the industry localized among a small group of people, the web direction is including more people and genres of art into the art scene. The devabulator is the first tool that makes this inclusion of more people available to artists and their patrons and in the future it is apparent that more companies will create web based groups that link more people to the artists they want to learn about.