Module 2 Homework- Article and Videos

1. The article, "What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience," by Elizabeth Landau of CNN, explains that humans can identify representational art as what it is drawn to be. It explains that we recognize faces where there are none, because we are programmed to. Landau further explained that humans understand line drawings on two dimensional surfaces as representing a three dimensional object. The article also stated our recognition of colors, and their ability to deepen an image in terms of value and space. The last concept the article discussed was symmetry, and our visual demand for it.

The first video, "Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts" explains that, although art in itself is not practical,
we value art because of its beauty. This idea of beauty is a construct of the value we give art, based
on visual attributes; including symmetry, harmony and order. It states that art is subjective, and can
be viewed as a representation of an idea, or it can be viewed as provoking feelings. It then discusses
that art is an extension of someone’s freedom and will. Above all, “art” is controversial and can be
argued about.

In the second video, "CARTA: Evolutionary Origins of Art and Aesthetics: Neurobiology, Neurology and Art and Aesthetics," both Changeux and Ramachandran explained how our brain reacts and looks for symmetry. That symmetry is meant to arouse a viewer to think of an object as prey, predator or mate. They further explained how and why we look for faces in objects, and how that has developed in terms of evolution.

2.  I believe philosopher Friedrich von Schiller’s theory is the most important. As a German poet from the 18th century, Schiller expressed his demand for aesthetics to be taught. He wanted to created art education, and believed that art allows personal freedom. He believed that aesthetic expression was an innate human quality that must not be suppressed.

3. Changeux and Ramachandran both focused on how the human brain reacts to its surroundings
to better explain why we react to art the way we do. Changeux started from the beginning, comparing
homo erectus to homo sapiens, and stated that we slowly developed from making tools to
understanding symmetry and creating symbols. He explained that art was a form of nonverbal
communication that seeks to affect emotion and or reason; by doing so we search for harmony.
One interesting fact I learned from Changeux was that when one of two people, who are intimately
connected, is faced with an issue the same part of the brain that is affected lights up in both partners.
The idea that empathy causes such a strong effect can help us further understand the effects art has
on our brains. Ramachandran claimed that art is made by exaggerating or distorting objects to
enhance them visually. He further explains that our brains try to develop sense in an image, and that
we understand a group of moving shapes as an object. An interesting fact I learned from
Ramachandran was that a chick will use innate visual stimuli to know where to find food, and can be
tricked into thinking it has found food through the replication and exaggeration of this visual stimulus.

4. In "What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience," Landau explains that we enjoy art and make art because our brains can recognize representations and abstractions of known objects. This is clear in the textbook through the examples of the Chauvet cave drawings.

The video, "Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts," slowly goes through what art was thought to be by the wise philosophers over many centuries. It explains that art was thought to be based only on idea, but then it gradually became accepted as personal expression. Later art would be re-questioned and the idea of what is or isn’t art would rise. In the textbook it claims that one of the meanings behind art is to "refresh our vision and let us see in new ways". These are the same principles, that we have to decide what we think is art and art in itself makes us rethink ourselves.

The second video, “CARTA: Evolutionary Origins of Art and Aesthetics: Neurobiology, Neurology and
Art and Aesthetics” relates to the beginning of our reading that explains the expansion and diversion
from homo erectus to homo sapiens. Changeux explains that because of our brain development and
growth that we have the Chauvet cave drawings; that it was our understanding of line and symbol that
created those drawings. Ramachandran explains at the end of his lecture that there is a difference
between “good art” and “kitsch art”. This is a separate idea than in the textbook, rather than being
stylized art, there is art that reflects cliches that are visually less appealing, whereas stylized art has
its own rules for style.

5. "What the brain draws from: Art and neuroscience" more so explains what techniques make us enjoy art, like complimentary colors, value, line, where the text also went in depth about.

"Aesthetics: Philosophy of the Arts" gives more examples of the view of the society, and how that has changed over time, based upon what each philosopher argued.

The video “CARTA: Evolutionary Origins of Art and Aesthetics: Neurobiology, Neurology and
Art and Aesthetics” helps me further comprehend the logic behind enjoying art. It does this by
giving scientific examples that prove neurologically why animals and humans behave the way they do.

Overall all three of these videos and article were informative and helpful. They gave me a different

perspective than the reading could and tied outside examples into the art world.