Beschreibung:

Futuristic Cityscape by Konrad Zuse, 1991 Oil on canvas, signed on lower-right side "K. Zuse 91", 23 3/5 x 31 ½ in., 26 1/3 x 34 ¼ in. framed. - Konrad Zuse (1910-1995), civil engineer, artist and pioneer of information technology, is widely recognized as the inventor of the first programmable electro-mechanical computer. Born in Berlin in 1910, Zuse studied architecture and engineering at the Technische Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenburg 1927-1935. - The young Zuse began designs for a computer as early as 1934. His first project, the "Z1", a mechanical calculator that read instructions from 35mm film, was completed in 1938. The "Z2" followed in 1940, succeeded by the revolutionary "Z3", the first programmable calculator with memory and a calculation unit based on telephone relays, in May 1941. Groundbreaking research into machine code resulted in the first high-level programming language, "Plankalkül", written for a computer. - Zuse's sense of form and space found only partial expression through his mathematical work. An early interest in design included drawing, photography and the Expressionist movement. The attempt to define space in all its concrete and abstract elements became a guiding principle. In his 1969 discourse, "Rechnender Raum" ("Calculating Space"), Zuse visualized the cosmos as a giant computer that could not be influenced externally. Zuse's autobiography describes how architecture appealed to his artistic side like a "tantalising mirage" while his profession represented "the ideal combination of artist and engineer". His controlled abstract works and urban landscapes, with titles such as "Stadtvision" ("Vision of a City"), "Kosmischer Raum" ("Cosmic Space") and "Bestrahlte Architektur" ("Irradiated Architecture"), show Zuse's preoccupation with space as a physical as well as a theoretical concept. - By 1962 the 52-year-old Zuse was devoting ever more time to his art, working in oils, watercolor and chalk. Later paintings were signed with the pseudonym "Kuno See", in order, as he wrote in 1988, to "make a clear distinction between my main work, computer development and information technology, and my artistic activities". - Konrad Zuse's status as the grandfather of information technology was cemented at the 1994 IFIP Congress (International Federation for Information Processing) in Hamburg with the presentation of his twelve chalk portraits of German computing pioneers. At CeBit '95 fair in Hannover the following year, he presented this portrait to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, commenting: "I admire Bill Gates as a successful business man but I do not envy him. His successes have required a resolute dedication. The responsibility is high and the well-being of the economy and of the United States depends ever more on the quality of the software in the most diverse of areas". - Zuse's work is to be found in national German collections, including the Konrad Zuse Museum in Hünfeld, the Astronomisch-Physikalisches Kabinett in Kassel and the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Münster. - Accompanied by the book "Der Computer - Mein Lebenswerk", Konrad Zuse, 1984, with original dedication from Konrad Zuse 10.11.1993. Original-Ölgemälde "Stadtansicht" von Konrad Zuse, 1991 Futuristische Stadtansicht, Öl auf Leinwand, signiert unten rechts: "K. Zuse 91", 60 x 80 cm, mit Rahmen 67 x 87 cm. - Konrad Zuse (1910-1995), Bauingenieur, Computer-Pionier und Künstler ist weltweit anerkannt als Erfinder des ersten frei programmierbaren mechanischen Computers. 1910 in Berlin geboren, studierte Zuse Architektur und Ingenieurwesen an der technischen Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenburg von 1927 bis 1935. - Bereits 1934 entwickelte der junge Zuse Konstruktion und Design für einen Computer. Sein erstes Projekt der "Z1", ein mechanischer Rechner, wurde 1938 fertiggestellt. Der "Z2" folgte 1940 und im Mai 1941 stellte er den revolutionären "Z3" vor, den ersten frei programmierbaren Rechner mit Memory und einem Rechenwerk auf Te