1) In "Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts," we learn about how the idea of beauty in art developed and evolved over centuries. We are introduced to various philosophers who contributed to these developments and the evolution of the definition of art. Starting in the Middle Ages, there was no concept of aesthetics, and beauty was synonymous with the skill or technique of the artist. By the 15th century, the idea of beauty in art changed and was no longer about technique but viewed as "beyond the subjectivity of taste." Philosophers Baumgarten and Kant coined the term aesthetics, which was defined as "judgment of beauty based on a feeling." During the first half of the 20th century, art is defined as expression of human emotion. This definition is later challenged in the second half of the century by styles like dadaism, cubism, surrealism, and pop art.
"CARTA: Evolutionary Origins of Art and Aesthetics: Neurobiology, Neurology and Art and Aesthetics" begins with Changeux describing to us the neural pathways which we utilize when viewing art. He explains that a work of art is a human production which is distinct from language and has aesthetic efficacy and that art is in constant motion. Ramachandran proposes that are universal laws to art as there are within science that cut across cultural disciplines, which he summarizes in his eight laws of art.
In What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience, Elizabeth Landau discusses how our minds can distinguish things such as faces within art from simple depictions. She asserts that this "coarse information" triggers an emotional response. The article also goes on to quote Ramachandran's statement that certain aspects of art are universally appealing despite the culture or environment that one grew up in.
2) I feel that Leo Tolstoy's expression theory is the most important and influential of the theories. Tolstoy's theory was widely accepted by the 20th century and claimed that "art is the expression of emotion." I agree with Tolstoy that all art can be defined as an act of human expression, which is in response to an emotion.
3)Changeux's hypothesizes that aesthetic efficacy relies on access to consciousness. In other terms, the effects on emotion and reason that we experience when viewing art arise from long-range axon neurons which broadcast signals to multiple areas of the brain. From his lecture, I learned that this visual processing of art happens within the rich interconnection of the limbic system and prefrontal cortex.
Ramachandran poses the question, "are there artistic universals as there are in science?" He believes that there are and that despite cultural differences, these universal principles transcend not only cultures but species. From his lecture, I learned that there are at least 30 areas within the brain associated with visual processing, making it a complicated task.
4)The text provides an in-depth look at art history. Trends in art styles are discussed and evaluated. The videos tie together the evolution of art and the philosophical and scientific inquiries of what art truly is and how it plays a role in our society.
5)The videos and the article relate to the text by presenting scientific explanations as to how we perceive art. The media enforces the assertion that art is vital to our society and provides insight as to the physiological events which take place when we consume art. Therefore, we can piece together the history which the text offers with the scientific knowledge we are presented in the videos to gain a fuller understanding of art. I particularly enjoyed Ramachandran's lecture on his eight rules of art and how he explains that art and science aren't mutually exclusive, and their meeting point is within the human brain.
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