Neuroaesthetics

Brian Boyd’s Evolutionary Account Of Art: Fiction Or Future?

by Jan Verpooten

published in Biological Theory

There has been a recent surge of evolutionary explanations of art. In this article I evaluate one currently... more There has been a recent surge of evolutionary explanations of art. In this article I evaluate one currently influential example, Brian Boyd’s recent book On the Origin of Stories: Evolution, Cognition, and Fiction (2009). The book offers a stimulating collection of findings, ideas and hypotheses borrowed from a wide range of research disciplines (philosophy of art and art criticism, anthropology, evolutionary and developmental psychology, neurobiology, ethology, etc.), brought together under the umbrella of evolution. However, in so doing Boyd lumps together issues that need to be separated, most importantly, organic and cultural evolution. In addition, he fails to consider alternative explanations to art as adaptation such as exaptation and constraint. Moreover, the neurobiological literature suggests current evidence of biological adaptation for most of the arts is weak at best. Given these considerations, I conclude by proposing to regard the arts instead as culturally evolved practices building on pre-existing biological traits.

Kunst und der kulturelle Blick

by Yvonne Foerster-Beuthan

Art, the brain, and family resemblances: Some considerations on neuroaesthetics

by marcello frixione

published in Philosophical Psychology, 24(5), October 2011, 699-715

The project of neuroaesthetics could be interpreted as an attempt to identify a “neural essence” of art, i.e. a set of... more The project of neuroaesthetics could be interpreted as an attempt to identify a “neural essence” of art, i.e. a set of necessary and sufficient conditions formulated in the language of neuroscience, which define the concept ART. Some proposals developed within this field can be read in this way. I shall argue that such attempts do not succeed in individuating a neural definition of art. Of course, the fact that the proposals available for defining art in neural terms do not work does not mean that such an enterprise is in principle doomed to failure. However, I maintain that there are good reasons to suspect that in general such a definition cannot be worked out. This does not mean, though, that the study of neural correlates in artwork production and fruition is a senseless project. Neuroaesthetics could succeed in individuating widespread mechanisms common to different forms of art coming from remote cultural contexts, which presumably rely on aspects of our mind and/or brain’s functioning that are innate and biologically determined, thus contrasting the idea that artistic phenomena are entirely dependent on cultural factors.

Neural rhythmicity, feature binding, and serotonin: a hypothesis

by Joshua Fost

Natural selection favors animals that make successful predictive theories about the world. The first step in the... more Natural selection favors animals that make successful predictive theories about the world. The first step in the formation of these theories is the construction of complex, multi-feature percepts. This process requires resolution of the binding problem, possibly via rhythmic cortical oscillations as suggested by von der Malsburg, Singer, Koch & Crick, and others. If the binding process were made rewarding, animals might enjoy theory-making and spontaneously become "smarter." I argue that the serotonergic raphe may have been used by evolution to link cortical binding with limbic reward centers and so serve as a neural substrate for the enjoyment of successful theory-making. I present evidence from the study of disorders like OCD and autism and drugs like LSD and MDMA suggesting that rhythmicity, reward, and pattern recognition are causally linked. I also propose that the genus Homo has tied powerful symbol manipulation hardware ("language") to the binding/theory-making circuits, allowing the construction, rehearsal, and communication of sophisticated models of the world. I suggest that many interesting phenomena, such as music-induced euphoria, deja vu, and the so-called "temporal lobe personality" can be explained by the interactions between these systems.

If Not God, Then What?: Neuroscience, Aesthetics, and the Origins of the Transcendent

by Joshua Fost

In If Not God, Then What? theoretical neuroscientist Joshua Fost shows how the search for beauty is the source of both... more In If Not God, Then What? theoretical neuroscientist Joshua Fost shows how the search for beauty is the source of both religious experience and scientific theorizing. The pleasure of seeing a beautiful face, the thrill of understanding a new idea, the sublimity of art and the power of religious transformation are all, in the end, the result of a brain that wants to make sense of the world. Weaving ideas from brain science and everyday activities — from Sunday cartoons to existentialism — Fost shows how a biological idiosyncrasy motivates them all. But if religious experience is just a special activity pattern in neurons, what should we think about its undeniable and emotionally transformative power? If everything we do is determined by physics, what is the basis for free will, or ethics? Blending receptivity to the glory of spiritual exultation with an insistence on naturalistic foundations, If Not God, Then What? breaks new ground and gives its readers insight into a compelling new worldview.

Art and Extensionism

by Robert Pepperell

in Situated Aesthetics: Art Beyond the Skin, Imprint Academic 2011, edited by Riccardo Manzotti.

There is an enduring, widespread, and deeply held belief that the conscious mind is located in the brain. One of the... more There is an enduring, widespread, and deeply held belief that the conscious mind is located in the brain. One of the consequences of this belief is that many researchers who seek the causes of mental phenomena do so among the neural processes in the skull. As aesthetic experience is one kind of mental phenomenon it seems natural therefore to look to the brain if we want to explain it. The recent series of books, papers, and articles from eminent neuroscientists, psychologists, vision scientists, and others that apply knowledge from science to extend our understanding of art rep- resent just such a ‘neurocentric’ approach. Foremost among this work is that of Semir Zeki, who can justifiably claim to be the prime mover behind the hybrid discipline of neuroaesthetics—a bold attempt to use neuro- biological principles to account for subjective qualities in visual art, music, and taste.

Connecting art and the brain: an artist’s perspective on visual indeterminacy

by Robert Pepperell

Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2011

In this article I will discuss the intersection between art and neuroscience from the perspective of a practicing... more In this article I will discuss the intersection between art and neuroscience from the perspective of a practicing artist. I have collaborated on several scientific studies into the effects of art on the brain and behavior, looking in particular at the phenomenon of “visual indeterminacy.” This is a perceptual state in which subjects fail to recognize objects from visual cues. I will look at the background to this phenomenon, and show how various artists have exploited its effect through the history of art. My own attempts to create indeterminate images will be discussed, including some of the technical problems I faced in trying to manipulate the viewer’s perceptual state through paintings. Visual indeterminacy is not widely studied in neuroscience, although references to it can be found in the literature on visual agnosia and object recognition. I will briefly review some of this work and show how my attempts to understand the science behind visual indeterminacy led me to collaborate with psychophysicists and neuroscientists. After reviewing this work, I will discuss the conclusions I have drawn from its findings and consider the problem of how best to integrate neuroscientific methods with artistic knowledge to create truly interdisciplinary approach.

The impact of aesthetic evaluation and physical ability on dance perception

by Emily S. Cross

The field of neuroaesthetics attracts attention from neuroscientists and artists interested in the neural... more The field of neuroaesthetics attracts attention from neuroscientists and artists interested in the neural underpinnings of aesthetic experience.  Though less studied than the neuroaesthetics of visual art, dance neuroaesthetics is a particularly rich subfield to explore, as it is informed not only by research on the neurobiology of aesthetics, but also by an extensive literature on how action experience shapes perception.  Moreover, it is ideally suited to explore the embodied simulation account of aesthetic experience, which posits that activation within sensorimotor areas of the brain, known as the action observation network (AON), is a critical element of the aesthetic response.  In the present study, we address how observers’ aesthetic evaluation of dance is related to their perceived physical ability to reproduce the movements they watch. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while evaluating how much they liked and how well they thought they could physically replicate a range of dance movements performed by professional ballet dancers. We used parametric analyses to evaluate brain regions that tracked with degree of liking and perceived physical ability.  The findings reveal strongest activation of occipitotemporal and parietal portions of the AON when participants view movements they rate as both aesthetically pleasing and difficult to reproduce.  As such, these findings begin to illuminate how the embodied simulation account of aesthetic experience might apply to watching dance, and provide preliminary evidence as to why some people find enjoyment in an evening at the ballet.

NEURAL NIRVANA:'NO MIND'OR OUT ON A LIMBIC?

by Marius Paul O'Shea

The Labyrinth and the Green Man

by Marius Paul O'Shea

Architectural Synaesthesia: A Hypothesis on the Makeup of Scarpa's Modernist Architectural Drawings

by Marco Frascari

Neuroaesthetics and beyond: New horizons in applying the science of the brain to the art of dance

by Emily S. Cross

in press- Phenomenology & the Cognitive Sciences

Throughout history, dance has maintained a critical presence across all human cultures, defying barriers of class,... more Throughout history, dance has maintained a critical presence across all human cultures, defying barriers of class, race, and status. How dance has synergistically co-evolved with humans has fueled a rich debate on the function of art and the essence of aesthetic experience, engaging numerous artists, historians, philosophers, and scientists. While dance shares many features with other art forms, one attribute unique to dance is that it is most commonly expressed with the human body. Because of this, social scientists and neuroscientists are turning to dance and dancers to help answer questions of how the brain coordinates the body to perform complex, precise, and beautiful movements. In the present paper, we discuss how recent advances in neuroscientific methods provide the tools to advance our understanding of not only the cerebral phenomena associated with dance learning and observation but also the neural underpinnings of aesthetic appreciation associated with watching dance. We suggest that future work within the fields of dance neuroscience and neuroaesthetics have the potential to provide mutual benefits to both the scientific and artistic communities.

Neuroaesthetics and beyond: New horizons in applying the science of the brain to the art of dance

by Emily S. Cross

in press- Phenomenology & the Cognitive Sciences

Throughout history, dance has maintained a critical presence across all human cultures, defying barriers of class,... more Throughout history, dance has maintained a critical presence across all human cultures, defying barriers of class, race, and status. How dance has synergistically co-evolved with humans has fueled a rich debate on the function of art and the essence of aesthetic experience, engaging numerous artists, historians, philosophers, and scientists. While dance shares many features with other art forms, one attribute unique to dance is that it is most commonly expressed with the human body. Because of this, social scientists and neuroscientists are turning to dance and dancers to help answer questions of how the brain coordinates the body to perform complex, precise, and beautiful movements. In the present paper, we discuss how recent advances in neuroscientific methods provide the tools to advance our understanding of not only the cerebral phenomena associated with dance learning and observation but also the neural underpinnings of aesthetic appreciation associated with watching dance. We suggest that future work within the fields of dance neuroscience and neuroaesthetics have the potential to provide mutual benefits to both the scientific and artistic communities.

The Lume Materiale In the Architecture of Venice

by Marco Frascari

The Drafting Knife and Pen

by Marco Frascari