Rolf Simonetta

Personal Information

I was born 1966 in Zurich (Switzerland). In 1987, after the secondary school, I began to study computer science at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich. Two years later I started to study business oriented computer science at the University of Zurich for two and a half years. Since then I have been doing computer graphics above all.

I started with computers in 1982 (Commodore C 64). When Commodore released the revolutionary Amiga computer in 1985 it was possible, for the first time, to create sophisticated computer graphics on an affordable level. Soon after the introdcution of the Amiga the the first ray traycing programs like Turbo Silver or Sculpt 3D appeared on the market.

I am doing computer graphics since 1989. Most of my pictures and animations I made using Imagine, the successor of Turbo Silver. Because of the poor manual I had to learn nearly all functions through self-study.

The computer is a fascinating medium. Barely another invention in the history of mankind has brought so many changes, in a positive as in a negative sense.

I have always been interested in art. But only the computer gave me the possibility to transfer my imaginations into pictures. The computer pictures evolve out of an intensive confrontation with a theme and the environment. For my pictures I construct all the objects by myself.

The pictures and their contents

For me, the human beeing is a fascinating creature with two faces. On one side man is able to do a great performance for the general public. On the other side he can use this power in the wrong way. In my work I try to translate these emotions and feelings into my pictures.

A picture can be created in different ways. For some pictures I try to convert a theme. Others are created gradually: First I construct a butterfly for example. Then, when I watch the butterfly on the screen, I can see the finished picture with my inner eye. Now I have to construct the missing objects to complete the picture I have seen before. An important part of my pictures are the colors, because they can provoke emotions to the observer.

Finally, the interpretation of a picture is up to each observer.

Schedule of Activity, Exhibition, and Publications.