Aesthetics Videos and Article

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

Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts

I learned that there are many ways to interpret what aesthetics really is.  During the 5^th century, Plato felt that people are attracted to beautiful things.  From his point of view, art had to be beautiful for someone to love it.  However, Francis Hutcheson believed that people had to be intelligent to notice beauty in art.

 CARTA: Neurobiology, Neurology, and Art and Aesthetics

I learned that works of art can be as simple as artifacts and not just human productions.  I also learned that we process imagines from the bottom-up. It was interesting to learn why people see different images from the same works of art.  I learned that the point of art isn’t to make something realistic, but in fact it is to distort the image so that it is appealing to the human brain.  This is because our brain is more interested in things that are distorted.  

CNN Article: Art and Neuroscience

I learned that in art we recognize people, animals, plants, food, place, lines, and faces very easily.  This is because we see them every day all around us.  I also learned when there is color contrast; there is not always luminance contrast.  The thing that caught my eye the most with the article was when Picasso stated that art is really a lie that makes us realize truth.

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 Francis Hutcheson’s theory on aesthetics is most important because he was the first person to come up with a modern theory on aesthetics.  Hutcheson was a philosopher during the 18^th century.  He wrote a paper called an Inquiry Concerning Beauty, Order, Harmony, and Design.  This was the first systematic philosophical treatment on the subject of aesthetics.  Morality was central to his work on aesthetics as well.  He believed that moral sense is important, but also that people have a sense of beauty and harmony.  For someone to experience aesthetics, the person needs to be intelligent and have a refined sensibility.  Hutcheson believed that these traits weren’t necessary but sufficient.

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? 

It was hard to understand what Changeux was saying at times.  However, I felt that his speech was interesting to think about.  When you look at art you never realize what goes on in your mind.  I enjoyed the pictures of the brain to show the different areas that were lit up in different situations.  This helped me to understand what he was talking about.

Ramachandran’s speech was very interesting to listen to and funny at times.  He raised good points at how we see art today.  The works of art that sell for the most money are typically not as “difficult” to make when compared to works of art from centuries ago.  I disagreed with him, however, when he said that kid “art” is not really art.  I felt that the Monet and the kid “art” that he showed were both art.  Both paintings were appealing to look at and equally beautiful.

The most interesting fact I learned from Changeux was how our brain processes images.  I always thought we processed them from the top-down instead of bottom-up.  The most interesting fact I learned from Ramachandran was the different between how Indian artists and western artists see art.  Indian artists thought distorted images of people were art, while western artists felt it wasn’t.

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

The videos and article related to the part in the text that focused on aesthetics.  It also helped explain why certain works of art shown in the text were seen as beautiful during their time periods.  I feel the videos also added some depth to certain themes of art like The Human Experience.

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 felt that the films and article made me think about how I see aesthetics.  I realized that I find different things in art that, to me, make it beautiful to look at.  For example, I feel art is beautiful when I think to myself, “I wish I could make something as great as this”.  I tend to see beauty in things that are difficult to accomplish.  The films and article helped me understand what aesthetic really is.  When I read about it in the text I was a little confused by its definition.  After watching the videos and reading the article, it all came together.