Ah! Chapter One.

The video Aesthetics: Philosophy and the Arts (digital.films.com) described the relationship between arts and philosophy. In the film, many different theories on aesthetic and its effect on humans in relation to the arts were presented. First it described how aesthetics came to be, the how aesthetics had an effect on how one interprets or creates art. I believe that Kant’s theory on aesthetics in most important. Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher that lived in 1700’s. His theory suggested that aesthetics was subjective and was not law bound. He believed that beauty was judged based on feelings and was not limited to any parameters. I believe this is important because aesthetics are completely subjective; it is based on how something visual or audible affects the person experiencing it. This is what makes great pieces of art work that are considered aesthetically pleasing. Artists are able to create beautiful pieces because something affected them and gave them inspiration to create.

The video CARTA: Neurobiology Neurology and Art and Aesthetics (www.youtube.com), is about the science and biology of humans and the human brain in relation to art and aesthetics. Jean-Pierre Changeux is a French neuroscientists that believes art and aesthetics are the connection of the visual appearance of a piece of art which is consciously seen and is unconsciously processed within the prefrontal cortex of the brain. He discussed how works of art are human artifacts that are symbolic in form and are used in the form of non-verbal communication. Throughout time artifacts begin to change from early vague forms of tools to symmetrical, clear cut tools. This development demonstrates throughout time human brains began to develop favoring visually pleasing items, in which the notion of aesthetics came about.

Vilayanur Ramachandran is also a neuroscientists who explained the science of art within this film. He discussed how the humanities and science would never meet, however through research one can see that they do meet within the human brain. Ramachandran also discussed how art is mainly based off of cultural ideas which he does not believe is true. He believes that there are eight rules of art that enable art to transcend between cultures. Some of these rules are contrast, symmetry, grouping, and art as a metaphor. This argument was made clear by the examples of Indian art compared to English art. He discussed how English art historians would look at a sculpture of an Indian god and did not like what they saw, however when it came to Picasso and his abstract period they believed it was amazing. According to Ramachandran the brain is active in thirty different areas when observing a visual item which leaves room for judgment. This judgment is subjective in nature which explains aesthetics. This perception people make about art is based off their own judgment of how they perceive the artwork.

I found this biological way of thinking about art very effective in describing what aesthetics are and how they affect the way people perceive are. I thought the piece about symmetry versus aesthetics Changeux discussed to be most interesting. This is based off of an experiment in Germany where subjects were asked to compare a symmetrical image to an asymmetrical image which is supposed to be deemed more beautiful. This shows the difference between symmetry judgment and aesthetic judgment.  I found Ramachandran eight rules of art to be most interesting. After taking a pervious art course I found that most art is based off of cultural ideas. However, these eight rules do explain art as a vessel for emotion, symbolic meaning, and visual attractiveness that which is not tied to just one culture. These rules take art as a whole and make is accessible to all cultures.

The article “What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience”, by Elizabeth Landau (www.cnn.com), and the videos CARTA: Neurobiology Neurology and Art and Aesthetics, and Aesthetics: Philosophy and the Arts provided the brains behind great pieces of artwork. People create art to express emotions, bring people together, or commemorate an icon because of the extremely active brain. Elizabeth Landau states, “The human brain is wired in such a way that we can make sense of lines, colors and patterns on a flat canvas”. Our brains are made to understand and create art in every sense of the word. One of the greatest benefits of this ability is we are able to create emotional ties to these pieces of art. Art is subjective giving the viewer the capability to form their own unique perspective according to what they find aesthetically pleasing. Being able to do this, individuals are able to use their abilities to create pieces of work that symbolize human experiences, sacred realms, and the natural world.

I thought being able to see what artist create and how their brains effect that creation was very helpful in understanding art. I understand that I like crazy pop art because I find that visually attractive. This consciousness gives the ability for an individual to have an emotional experience with a piece of artwork, and enjoy in the mere beauty of everything that went into it. Art is looked at as a past time to most people, however through this first chapter one becomes educated on how it had a crucial part in our development as human beings not only in our physical world but in our physical beings.