Samuel Monnier was born in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland in 1980. He took an interest in both computer and physics at an early age. In 1995, Monnier became interested in fractal and algorithmic art and wrote basic programs to draw fractals on the computer. Three years later, he began implementing algorithms using Ultra Fractal. Monnier has always enjoyed the paintings of Paul Klee and Gustav Klimt and their influence can be seen throughout his compositions. Ethnic art is also a source of inspiration for the patterns he incorporates into his digital creations. In the year 2000, Monnier wrote his first algorithm working with the principle of "pattern piling”, on which most of his recent works are based. Perfecting the algorithms represents an important part of his artistic expression. Monnier is well known in the fractal art community, and served as a juror of the two Benoît Mandelbrot Fractal Art Contests in 2006 and 2007. His compositions have been featured in several fractal/algorithmic art exhibitions, most notably the exhibition organized for the 2006 International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid.
In 2008 Monnier obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. He is currently working in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Rutgers.
NOTE FROM THE ARTIST:
My compositions are instances of algorithmic art, namely art produced
by algorithms. An algorithm is a set of unambiguous rules applied to
some data to produce a result. The algorithms I create are executed on
a computer, which performs computations and logical operations to
produce a digital image. Most of my compositions are constructed on
the idea of "pattern piling". Copies of a simple pattern are created
at various size scales and are merged together. This technique allows
to produce images so complex that they could never have been imagined,
let alone realized, by a bare human mind. Through these works, I hope to
share my fascination for this amazing complexity and awaken the
interest of art lovers for this relatively unrecognized medium of
creating visual art.
