Art and Style | April 04, 2010 | 5 comments

Unlocking the mysteries of the artistic mind

source: http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/section-blog/290-unlocking-the-mysteries-of-the-artist...

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It might seem bizarre that science is using art to learn about the mind—looking for hard facts in the most ethereal of places. But great artists turn out to be the world's first neuroscientists. Consider the flightless fluffs of brown otherwise known as herring gull chicks. Since they're entirely dependent on their mothers for food, they're born with a powerful instinct. Whenever they see a bird beak, they frantically peck at it, begging for their favorite food: a regurgitated meal. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/section-blog/290-unlocking-the-mysteries-o...
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5 comments // Unlocking the mysteries of the artistic mind

  • feefer2010
  • Jjjjason7
    • 0
      Jjjjason7  

    • maybe a little off topic but I think the artistic mind is a curse. I am a wonderful artist so some say but I am miserable. I can create beauty but find none in any of my relationships with others. I am not sure if I should pass my genes on. They hold genius as well as many difficulty's others can not even imagine. I am and have been working all day on leaving the house to get dog food. Maybe the artistic mind should not be the place to look.

    • 2 years ago
  • nursediesel
  • hoboninja54
    • +1
      hoboninja54  

    • [From the Article]
      Perceptual Principles of Great Art

      PEAK SHIFT: We find deliberate distortions of a stimulus even more exciting than the stimulus itself—which is why cartoon caricatures grab our attention.

      GROUPING: It feels nice when the distinct parts of a picture can be grouped into a pattern or form. The brain likes to find the signal amid the noise.

      BALANCE: Successful art makes use of its entire representational space, and spreads its information across the entire canvas.

      CONTRAST: Because of how the visual cortex works, it's particularly pleasing for the brain to gaze at images rich in contrast, like thick black outlines or sharp angles—or, as in the geometric art of Mondrian, both at once.

      ISOLATION: Sometimes less is more. By reducing reality to its most essential features—think a Matisse that's all bright color and sharp silhouettes—artists amplify the sensory signals we normally have to search for.

      PERCEPTUAL PROBLEM SOLVING: Just as we love solving crossword puzzles, we love to "solve" abstract paintings such as cubist still lifes or Cézanne landscapes.

      SYMMETRY: Symmetrical things, from human faces to Roman arches, are more attractive than asymmetrical ones.

      REPETITION, RHYTHM, ORDERLINESS: Beauty is inseparable from the appearance of order. Consider the garden paintings of Monet. Pictures filled with patterns, be it subtle color repetitions or formal rhythms, appear more elegant and composed.

    • 2 years ago
  • hoboninja54
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