1. For each video list/discuss the key concepts you learned.
This video conveyed many concepts about Aesthetics from philosophers such as Plato who had a low opinion of artists and poets, whom spoke about things they had no idea knowing about. Baumgarten, felt that art and beauty belong into middle ground between sensitivity and reason. He influenced Kant who thought sensitivity and reason are brought together by imagination. There are three ages within the history of art:
1. Eastern art is symbolic art, expressed through allegories.
2. Classical art, dates back as early as 500 BC.
3. Romantic art, material things are spiritualized and art is no longer needed to define human life in statues.
Twentieth Century art is full of innovation, dadaism, cubism, serialism and pop-art all changed the notion of art. The idea of beauty was nearly forgotten. At this time art did not have to be beautiful, almost anything could be conveyed as art.
This video was about two scientists, Jean-Pierre Changeux and Vilayanur Subramanian Ramachandran.
Changeux conveyed that both conscious and the non-conscious brain have an impact of how you view art (Aesthetic experience). The brain is so complex there is an explosion of possible representation in an artists brain. A piece of art has a restriction of combinations which restaint his possible representations which lends to what is known as the style of the artist. There are rules, acquired patterns of connectors stored in the long term memory. These rules are:
1. Novelty, the constant search for the unanticipated.
2. Consensus Partium, the universal search for harmony.
3. The exemplum, the artist attempts to share his conception of the world.
4. Symmetry, aesthetics within the brain function similiar in both cases.
5. Empathy, art makes us aware of oneself as another.
Ramachandran discussed the eight laws of artistic experience:
1. Grouping or Binding, takes parts of a work that can be seen as a group, this gives a boost when we see the final picture.
2. Peak shift Principal, taking what makes a work unique and exaggerating it.
3. Contrast involves eliminating redundant information and focusing attention.
4. Isolating, Isolating a single visual cue helps the organism allocate attention to the output of a single module, less is more.
5. Perpetual Problem Solving, the very act of searching for a meaning in art which is more pleasing ot the eye, rather than the art just shown.
6. Symmetry, this can be found in other species throughout the world.
7. Abhorrence of unique vantage point and suspicious coincidences. The brain likes a generic viewpoint.
8. Art as metaphor, a mental tunnel between two concepts that appear grossly dissimilar on the surface, but instead share a deeper connection.
2. Which philosopher's theory on aesthetics do you feel is most important? Be sure to mention the philosophers name, era (time in history), and contribution to the aesthetic theory in your response.
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher around the end of the 18th Century. I feel Kant’s theory about aesthetics was most important. Kant states that sensibility and reason are brought together by imagination and anything can be presented as beautiful. The only thing that cannot be beautified is the disgusting. Disgusting cause’s pain, therefore beauty cannot happen. He felt that there is no exact science as to why something is beautiful. The artist is not just a skilled craftsman but a super sensitive individual.
3. What do you think about Changeux and Ramachandran scientific view of aesthetics and art? What was the most interesting fact you discovered from each speakers lecture?
I liked their views on art; I guess because I am an Engineering Major and seem to favour the left side of my brain. Changeux had a great point, that the conscious and non-conscious parts of your brain have an impact on your aesthetic experience. Ramachandran was probably my favorite of the two videos, his form of lecture was enough that I would probably listen to more that he had to say. I liked that he expressed the goal of art is to manipulate, distort and image in some way to produce pleasing effects on the brain. It is not to convey a realistic picture.
4. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The two scientists give their view of aesthetics but from a scientific point of view rather then philosophical.
5. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading?
The first film although very informative was also very boring, it was tough to listen to. I had an easier time following the second film, especially Ramachandran. They both seem to bring the actual science and explain how the brain physically looks at aesthetics rather than the philosophical aspects.
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