Robert Bosch

All artists are optimizers. All artists try to perform a task - creating a piece of artwork - at the highest level possible. The main difference between me and other artists is that I use optimization explicitly. I usually don't use a pencil, paintbrush, or any other traditional tool. I do use a computer, but not in the same way that other digital artists do. Instead, I use mathematical optimization. Here's how I usually work: After I get an idea for a piece, I translate the idea into a mathematical optimization problem. I then solve the problem, render the solution, and see if I'm pleased with the result. If I am, I stop. If not, I revise the mathematical optimization problem, solve it, render its solution, and examine it. Often I need to go through many iterations to end up with a piece that pleases me. I do what I do out of a love of mathematical optimization - the theory, the algorithms, the numerous applications.