A work of art that uses digital technology or a computer as either a medium or a creative tool may be called digital art.
The law defines digital art as a subcategory of visual art, so a piece of digital art is an "original" work to be included among two and three-dimensional works of "fine, graphic and applied art."
Digital arts is an area of specialization that falls within the department of Media Arts. Digital art in an academic setting is the vehicle to invent new forms of scholastic and artistic knowledge.
The specific genres within digital art include photography, video, games, interactive cinema, animation, software art, networked art and Internet art. The genres will continue to expand as technology evolves.
The forerunners of the digital art movement include Laurence Gartel, who taught Andy Warhol how to use an Amiga computer. Notable contributors to the evolution of the digital art movement include Lillian Schwartz, David Em, Ed Emshwiller and Yoichiro Kawaguchi.