The perception of art and the science of perception (original) (raw)

The Art and Philosophy of Perception

Pencilbrains,llc, 2020

Abstract The Art and Philosophy of Perception: Empirical Observation, Information Conservation, and Consciousness explores the intricate relationship between perception, art, and philosophy through a multidisciplinary lens. This book delves into the role of empirical observation and the fluidity of behavior as foundational elements in both artistic creation and philosophical inquiry. It examines how these concepts shape our understanding of reality and influence our interpretation of art. The book starts with a discussion on the vital role of empirical observation in capturing the essence of human experience and how it impacts behavior in artistic and philosophical contexts. It then highlights the influence of African art on Picasso's work, illustrating the significance of empirical observation in the acquisition of knowledge and artistic innovation. A key focus of the book is the principle of information conservation, which underscores the importance of preserving and interpreting information across different mediums and contexts. This leads into a broader discussion on the relationship between perception, time, information, and symbolism in shaping our understanding of reality. Further, the book explores speculative thought as a means of accessing and analyzing human consciousness, and concludes with an examination of the Axial Age—a period of profound transformation in religion, philosophy, and cultural exchange. By weaving together these themes, the book offers a comprehensive analysis of how perception and information shape both artistic expression and philosophical thought, providing valuable insights into the nature of consciousness and reality.

Two sciences of perception and visual art

Two kinds of vision science are distinguished: a representational versus a nonrepresentational one. Seeing in the former is conceived of as creating an internal replica of the external world, while in the latter seeing is taken to be a process of active engagement with the environment. The potential of each theory for elucidating artistic creation and aesthetic appreciation is considered, neces- sarily involving some comments on visual consciousness.

A Defence of the Study of Visual Perception in Art

This thesis examines the use of the science of visual perception in the study of art. I argue that this application of perceptual psychology and physiology has been neglected in recent years, but contend that it is being revived by writers such as John Onians. I apply recent scientific research to demonstrate what can be learned about depiction from the science of perception. The thesis uses the science of perception to argue that there are four main interlinked components in depiction. It argues that each of these components can be better understood by using the science of vision. Chapter 1 examines one component, namely resemblance. It uses studies of the retina, centre-surround cells, and attentional processes to examine how a picture can vary in appearance from its subject matter, yet still represent it. Chapter 2 examines a second component, namely informativeness. It applies Biederman's psychological theory of recognition-by-components to argue that the depiction of volumetric forms depends on the depiction of the vertices of such objects, as well as that of linear perspective. From this the chapter argues that the notion of informativeness, as developed by Lopes, should be combined with a notion of resemblance to create a more complete theory. Chapter 3 examines a third component of depiction, namely that pictures can include, omit, and distort the features of their subjects. The psychological theory of scales, as developed by Oliva and Schyns, is used to explain certain kinds of depictions of fabrics, and the perception of Pointillist paintings. The chapter also examines the issue of to what extent perception and depiction are dependent on culture rather than genetics, and shows how a combination of scientific methodology, in the form of cross-cultural psychology, and historiography, in the form of Baxandall's 'period eye' approach, can be used to investigate this issue. Chapter 4 examines a fourth component of depiction, namely the organisation of pictures. It uses studies by Westphal-Fitch et al., and Võ and Wolfe to analyse the patterns of Waldalgesheim art, and the images in the Book of Kells. By using the science of visual perception, I arrive at the conclusion that a combination of theories of recognition, informativeness, and order, developed in Chapters 1, 2, and 4, together with theories of visual decomposition, processing, and recomposition, developed in Chapter 3, form a basis for understanding depiction.

Pictorial cues in art and in visual perception

Introduction: why do we look at pictures? Artists have been looking at the world for thousands of years, and thus paintings and drawings can be considered to form a  -year-old corpus of experimental psychology of perception. Through observation and trial-and-error they have exploited the principles of how our brains interpret the input from the retina, giving priority to only certain regularities of the visual pattern. Thus, a study of pictorial cues can tell us about the way that the brain recognizes objects, understands spatial depth, and uses illumination information in natural environments. Conversely, a better understanding of visual perception may help to explain the effectiveness of certain techniques used by artists. Therefore this essay will focus on some basic techniques in pictorial depiction that allow blobs of paint or charcoal marks to evoke objects, depth, movement, transparency, illumination, and refl ection. The development of these pictorial techniques by artists can be considered as fundamental discoveries about the neuroscience of perception.

Visual Science of Art. Editorial: Bridging Art and the Sciences

Art & Perception, 2017

This special issue of Art & Perception for the first time comprises the abstracts of talks and posters presented at a Visual Science of Art Conference (VSAC). This year’s, 5th installment of VSAC took place in Berlin, August 25th-27th, with 117 contributions selected for presentation and more than 250 participants. This issue includes an editorial by Claus-Christian Carbon and Joerg Fingerhut that introduces the contributions and discussions at the conference. The abstracts of the keynotes presented by Jesse Prinz and Irving Biederman are then followed by those of the peer-reviewed presentations: talks/symposia (in order of presentation) and posters (in alphabetical order). The talks are clustered around central topics in the sciences of the arts, such as aesthetic universals vs. cross-cultural differences, some works are focusing on physiological measures in the aesthetic sciences, or on visual statistics of art images, others address the important issue of ecological valid testing of aesthetic experiences. The contributions to this year’s VSAC demonstrated a clear broadening of topics at the intersection of the visual sciences and the arts. Many presentations went beyond the focus on immediate sensory responses to artworks and simple evaluative states in order to also discuss the typical richness and elaborative quality of art experience that psychologists, philosophers, art historians, sociologists, and others recognize as an intellectually engaged, historically situated, and culturally varied phenomenon. The reprint of these abstracts therefore also aims to represent a cross-section of current research and debates in the field.

Cues in Art and in Visual Perception

2010

Artists have been looking at the world for thousands of years, and thus paintings and drawings can be considered to form a  -year-old corpus of experimental psychology of perception. Through observation and trial-and-error they have exploited the principles of how our brains interpret the input from the retina, giving priority to only certain regularities of the visual pattern. Thus, a study of pictorial cues can tell us about the way that the brain recognizes objects, understands spatial depth, and uses illumination information in natural environments. Conversely, a better understanding of visual perception may help to explain the effectiveness of certain techniques used by artists. Therefore this essay will focus on some basic techniques in pictorial depiction that allow blobs of paint or charcoal marks to evoke objects, depth, movement, transparency, illumination, and refl ection. The development of these pictorial techniques by artists can be considered as fundamental disco...