In addition to my love for knowledge and critical thinking, I
am also a Romantic. I love the arts: music, dance, paintings,
photography, creativity overall. It seems as if humans have an
innate desire to express the rich feelings and emotions that no
other organism on earth possesses. There are many theories as to
art being early forms of communication and story telling.
An early effort to preserve and transmit data is what I believe
art to be.
A famous Paleolithic drawing in the Chauvet Cave
was discovered in the Ardèche valley (in southern France) in
December 1994. It depicts a pride of lions hunting ancient bison
and dates some 30,000 years ago. Also, from a latter time period
is the Chinese Horse Painting at Lascaux. Another example are
the cave paintings from Altamira Spain. Interestingly, the
ceilings were painted as well there, a forerunner of the
Renaissance technique. The themes were
practical and functional, animals and hunting, but also marked
the beginnings of abstract thinking. Steven
Mithen, an archaeologist with an interest in psychology,
believes that just such a consciousness obtained among early
humans when they went foraging for food or made tools. The
evolution of higher, more memory-laden consciousness, he
continues, occurred only as a result of a cognitive trick that
doubtless involved some trial and error. The trick, simply put,
was to guess what the social behavior of some member of one's
social group might be in a given circumstance--to step outside
one's own mind, in other words, and enter another's. This
guesswork underlies the famed cave paintings of Altamira, an
attempt to predict the behavior of migratory animals. It
underlies as well another experiment: the development of
agriculture, with the requisite predicting of how plants and
animals might behave under a wide range of conditions.
Neuroaesthetics
What makes art appreciable in our minds? Why is there so many
styles that either please the eye or is rejected by the
beholder? Such questions fall into the domain of neuroaesthetics.
We all perceive art the same way in certain stages, but there is
some point neurologically where we all either converge or depart
company with each other on whether some manifestation of art,
whether it be visual or auditory. Obviously, the point of
distinction for each perceiver will be the emotional aspect, and
this takes place in the limbic system. The limbic system is the
emotional center, but each of our limbic structures are unique
to each individual based upon individual experiences that are
held in memory. A term used for this is schemata. Schemas are
"filters" based upon our individual experience that colors all
of our interpretation of sensory data.
A good reference for this is Robert L. Solso's "The Psychology
of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain." Solso identifies three major processing stages in this hierarchy:
first the transduction of photons into neural impulses in the
eye; second, the extraction of primitive features in the visual
cortex, and the assembly of these features into categorized
objects; and, thirdly, the association between categorized
objects and the person’s personal knowledge and “worldview” (see
Figure 1). Most of the neural mechanisms Solso discusses relate
to stage 1 and 2. As regards the third stage he contends that
“the neurological trail grows cold after leaving the primary
visual cortex and the various ‘streams’ that ensue” (p. 254).
Instead he subsumes what ever processes that take place at stage
3 under the shorthand “schema”. A schema is a pair of conceptual
glasses that filters the perceptual signals through a point of
view, or a hypothesis about the world. It is the stage 3 schema
that makes you “see” the glass as either half-full or
half-empty. Thus, although clouded in mystery, stage 3 actually
plays the most significant role in the brain’s construction of
an aesthetic representation. It is through the imposition of a
schema on the perceptual object that a work of art attains its
“meaning” or “interpretation”.
Art Appreciation
Departing from the psychological aspects, and moving into the
familiar realm of art appreciation, a great little book I
recommend is "Learning to Look" by Joshua Taylor. This
book has sold more than 300,000 copies since its original
publication in 1957, and has helped two generations of art
students "learn to look." It is designed to provide a
comprehensive view of art, moving from the analytic study of
specific works to a consideration of broad principles and
technical matters. Forty-four carefully selected illustrations
afford an excellent sampling of the wide range of experience
awaiting the student.
Impressionism
My favorite are the French Impressionists. I love the
depictions of ordinary daily life and the "unfinished" look of
the style. I have included songs that I feel are appropriate for
the picture.
Claude Monet: La Grenouillere
Alfred Sissly: Allee of Chestnut Trees
Van Gogh: First Steps
Van Gogh: Starry Night
Thomas Kinkade's "A Quiet Evening"
My favorite Kincade. I chose "A View From the Creek" and some
others from Dawson's Creek to accompany the picture. Perhaps
Kincade taps into some archetypal imagery that brings a peaceful
response. I hope to experience this for real, not just a
daydream.
Music
Growing up in the 60's and 70's was phenomenal when it came
to music. Rock and Roll came into its own, but got a bit too
ambitious politically I believe.
So later in life I found myself longing for more open
questions, lyricless music that allowed one to interpret the
melodies as one saw fit. New Age and Smooth Jazz fit the bill.
Here are some of my favorites:
