Well said. wc
----- Original Message ---- From: imago Asthetik <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, January 20, 2010 1:55:37 PM Subject: Re: Beauty and the Brain: A Neural Approach to Aesthetics Mr Miller, I believe you are not engaging the point. I doubt that the researchers involved in this particular experiment are looking for some median-work, some collection of statistical averages, like "Blue Landscape" Since the task presented to viewers is, or will be, comparative, ie a viewer compares an _actual_ sculpture with a digital version in which specific features have been accentuated, one might be able to identify certain basic features of sculpture to which people respond. What is being inquired into is the formal relationships between ideal-typical brain function and features of the world that elicit specific, qualitative and first-person responses in order to see if there is an invariant cognitive structure underwriting these responses. Clearly, this is completely different than trying to produce a painting that all people would describe as beautiful or that collects the most popular features of paintings in general. Rephrased, the experiment has to do with aesthetic responses not artistic objects. It is an experiment in cognitive science, not an experiment in art. And it seems to me that you are conflating these two issues/problems. On Wed, Jan 20, 2010 at 2:15 PM, Chris Miller <[email protected]>wrote: > Why couldn't the experiment use a computer morphed variations of an > abstract > painting instead of sculpture? > > Wouldn't a Conger painting serve the one just as well as an Arp sculpture > served the other? > > Now tell us, William, would you really care if the vast majority of > responders > got more pleasure from looking at variations instead of the original of > your > painting? > > What relevance would that "normative template for aesthetic response" have > to > whatever "art" means to you? > > BTW - hasn't research already established that the "blue landscape" (as > Dutton > calls it) serves as such a template? > > > > > ____________________________________________________________ > Diet Help > Cheap Diet Help Tips. Click here. > > http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/c?cp=UFu9-x8yamdYLVXemT2fCwAAJz6c > l_zTaptgNR5c8Mer1v9kAAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYQAAAAAA=
