Video & Article Review Module 2

1.For each video and article list/discuss the key concepts you learned.

The CNN article’s basic concepts were about how humans are attracted to visual art because of how our brain registers colors and shadows also because our brain looks for symmetry because we connect it to a living thing. Another concept found in this article is how art is formed from emotions, ands that artist are trying to mimic reality. Also it states how art is trying to make an effect on the brain, to trigger emotions and that’s why art has been successful.

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.

I feel that the most important and true sense of aesthetics was the neoclassical aesthetics developed by Leon Battista Alberti. I feel that this was the most important because he talked about the major factors being harmony proportion symmetry and order. He did not feel that taste played a factor in the beauty of art. I feel this is the most important view because in certain forms of art we use these rules, our eyes are drawn to the balance of the work of art at which we are viewing, we might not find it as aesthetically pleasing if it was non symmetrically or did not have harmony within the composition. Also this can be viewed in a different sense where the harmony is a piece of work that has no order to it or is abstract. I just feel that this aesthetic view is the most important because it fits with many different types of art forms and can be interoperated in many ways.

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? 

Changeux- I thought his view on why art was created was interesting, I found the most interesting thing he talked about was how symmetry looks in the brain when we see it and how we process it and then make a judgment about a work of art it we find it to be symmetrical

Ramachandran- I really liked his talk I found him to be very intelligent, but also be very real about why he wanted to study this in the first place. I felt that the most important thing he talked about were the eight laws of art (aesthetics) and to be specific to one law about how everything we perceive then involved a judgment following, and how vision is the most important thing to analyze art. Also that with vision is how we are able to judge art.

4. How do the videos and article relate to the readings in the text?

I feel that these videos and article relate to the chapter because the texts talks about the basic process in which art happens like for example the book talks about style and what we find cohesive in a work or art and how we are able to put it in a certain category, and then process and emotion about it , and both the videos and the article talks about what the steps are how it relates to aesthetics. The article and video goes into how it works within the brain and the breakdown of how we visualize art. Also I feel like with the scientific term’s and laws you can take what you learned in the book and analyze it and fit it into how the brain functions

5. What is your opinion of the films and article? How do they add depth to understanding of the topics in your reading in the text?

I understand the importance that these videos and articles serve, but I feel that they are too much a literal take on art. I feel like the CNN article really needed to state the science behind art to prove why is made. I feel like this is not what art is about. I feel that you don’t need to always figure out the meaning and concept and steps behind something someone has created. You can just enjoy it and have it be a mystery, not everything needs to be analyzed. I also felt this way about the CARTA movie. I understand where art came from and why it came about, and that it invokes emotions and the access to the conscious and non conscious brain I found to be interesting, but again I just don’t agree with having to pick apart and prove why someone creates are. I respect the form and context and steps going into creating art, but I don’t feel that we need to have a scientist explain every single thing that goes on in the brain when an artist is creating something. I did however like Ramachandran talk about how and why he got into studying this and how art can be pleasing to different cultures. I also liked his reference to a butterfly should only be beautiful to another butterfly, but that we find them beautiful as well. I did like Aesthetics video, I liked hearing what all the philosophers thought about art throughout the ages, I liked that they were all abstract ideas and could be interoperated differently. I also like how you could see the attitude about the creation of art changed throughout the ages. I feel it relates to the text on a more in depth scale because we are able to see how we process art in the brain.