Brain, Beauty, and Art
Essays Bringing Neuroaesthetics into Focus
Anjan Chatterjee editor Eileen Cardilo editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:24th Mar '22
Should be back in stock very soon
Aesthetics has long been the preserve of philosophy, art history, and the creative arts but, more recently, the fields of psychology and neuroscience have entered the discussion, and the field of neuroaesthetics has been born. In Brain, Beauty, and Art, leading scholars in this nascent field reflect on the promise of neuroaesthetics to enrich our understanding of this universal yet diverse facet of human experience. The volume consists of essays from foundational researchers whose empirical work launched the field. Each essay is anchored to an original, peer-reviewed paper from the short history of this new and burgeoning subdiscipline of cognitive neuroscience. Authors of each essay were asked three questions: 1) What motivated the original paper? 2) What were the main findings or theoretical claims made? and, 3) How do those findings or claims fit with the current state and anticipated near future of neuroaesthetics? Together, these essays establish the territory and current boundaries of neuroaesthetics and identify its most promising future directions. Topics include models of neuroaesthetics, and discussions of beauty, art, dance, music, literature, and architecture. Brain, Beauty, and Art will inform and stimulate anyone with an abiding interest in why it is that, across time and culture, we respond to beauty, engage with art, and are affected by music and architecture.
For anyone wishing to learn about the basic constructs and findings of the new field of experimental neuroaesthetics, this is a must-read book and one destined to advance the field. Each chapter is a gem-a brief and highly readable commentary on a pioneering article in which the author(s) of the article explain their motivating hypotheses and reflect on where the field was then, where it is going, and where it should be going. * Ellen Winner, Professor Emerita, Boston College, and author of How Art Works: A Psychological Exploration (OUP, 2019) and An Uneasy Guest in the Schoolhouse: Art Education from Colonial Times to a Promising Future (OUP, 2022) *
A landmark publication for a burgeoning, new discipline, Brain, Beauty, and Art offers much of interest for the scholar, scientist, and general reader on a subject of enduring fascination to us all. Edited by pioneers in the field of neuroaesthetics, this comprehensive volume brings together the most important and consequential research while also providing a compelling account of why the love of beauty in all of the forms is an essential part of what it means to be human. * Daniel H Weiss, President and CEO, The Metropolitan Museum of Art *
Dr. Chatterjee is a pioneer in neuroaesthetics - not only because of his enduring and cutting-edge body of academic research, but also because of his ability to bring together experts from disparate fields, build on their own findings and insights, and weave a cohesive and compelling narrative on the field. His latest book, Brain, Beauty, and Art, offers the world's most comprehensive view on this burgeoning field, including what it is, how it affects human behavior, and why it matters. After reading his book, I'm sure you'll agree it matters now more than ever! * Pauline Brown, Former Chair of LVMH North America & Author of Aesthetic Intelligence *
ISBN: 9780197513620
Dimensions: 241mm x 165mm x 26mm
Weight: 503g
280 pages