Frank E. Pollick, Corinne Jola, Karin Petrini, Lawrie S. McKay, Phil McAleer, Seon Hee Jang, Christine MacLeod,, and David R. Simmons
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780195393705
- eISBN:
- 9780199979271
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195393705.003.0009
- Subject:
- Psychology, Cognitive Psychology
Many discussions of biological motion perception involve a description of observers’ attunements for recognizing gender, emotion, action, and identity from point-light displays. This chapter ...
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Many discussions of biological motion perception involve a description of observers’ attunements for recognizing gender, emotion, action, and identity from point-light displays. This chapter describes an often-neglected determinant of biological motion perception: the role of expertise. First, the authors describe how variability among observers is essential for developing a comprehensive theory of biological motion perception. Then, they describe how the distributed network of brain areas devoted to biological motion perception provides an opportunity for this brain network to be applied to new tasks and environments.Less
Many discussions of biological motion perception involve a description of observers’ attunements for recognizing gender, emotion, action, and identity from point-light displays. This chapter describes an often-neglected determinant of biological motion perception: the role of expertise. First, the authors describe how variability among observers is essential for developing a comprehensive theory of biological motion perception. Then, they describe how the distributed network of brain areas devoted to biological motion perception provides an opportunity for this brain network to be applied to new tasks and environments.
Torben Grodal
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195371314
- eISBN:
- 9780199870585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371314.003.0011
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
This chapter analyzes those features of film that provide the feeling that a given part of a film is not a transparent representation of exterior reality but a representation either of inner life or ...
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This chapter analyzes those features of film that provide the feeling that a given part of a film is not a transparent representation of exterior reality but a representation either of inner life or of exterior reality colored and filtered by subjective elements. It argues that central in evoking subjective feelings is to hinder physical actions or thought actions in films; blocking action provides the film images with static, saturated feelings (equalia) central to film aesthetics. The chapter analyzes six important ways of evoking subjective, saturated emotions in films: (1) minimizing or freezing actions and blocking thought “actions” (i.e., propositions); (2) impeding perceptual access; (3) making the access to the space deviant or distorted; (4) making the portrayed actions deviant or distorted; (5) portraying situations with a problematic reality status; and (6) portraying deviant emotions and emotional reactions. The chapter also discusses the differences in the use of subjective elements in art films and in mainstream films.Less
This chapter analyzes those features of film that provide the feeling that a given part of a film is not a transparent representation of exterior reality but a representation either of inner life or of exterior reality colored and filtered by subjective elements. It argues that central in evoking subjective feelings is to hinder physical actions or thought actions in films; blocking action provides the film images with static, saturated feelings (equalia) central to film aesthetics. The chapter analyzes six important ways of evoking subjective, saturated emotions in films: (1) minimizing or freezing actions and blocking thought “actions” (i.e., propositions); (2) impeding perceptual access; (3) making the access to the space deviant or distorted; (4) making the portrayed actions deviant or distorted; (5) portraying situations with a problematic reality status; and (6) portraying deviant emotions and emotional reactions. The chapter also discusses the differences in the use of subjective elements in art films and in mainstream films.
Torben Grodal
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195371314
- eISBN:
- 9780199870585
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195371314.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Film, Media, and Cultural Studies
This book provides analysis of how human biology, as well as human culture, determines the ways films are made and experienced. This new approach is called “bioculturalism.” The book shows how ...
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This book provides analysis of how human biology, as well as human culture, determines the ways films are made and experienced. This new approach is called “bioculturalism.” The book shows how important formats, such as films for children, romantic films, pornography, fantasy films, horror films, and sad melodramas, appeal to an array of different emotions that have been ingrained in the human embodied brain by the evolutionary process. The book also discusses how these biological dispositions are molded by culture. It explains why certain themes and emotions fascinate viewers all over the globe at all times, and how different cultures invest their own values and tastes in the universal themes.The book further uses the breakthroughs of modern brain science to explain central features of film aesthetics and to construct a general model of aesthetic experience, the PECMA flow model, which explains how the flow of information and emotions in the embodied brain provides a series of aesthetic experiences. The combination of film theory, cognitive psychology, neurology, and evolutionary theory provides explanations for why narrative forms are appealing and how and why art films use different mental mechanisms than those that support mainstream narrative films, as well as how film evokes images of inner, spiritual life and feelings of realism.Embodied Visions provides a new synthesis in film and media studies and aesthetics that combines cultural history with the long history of the evolution of our embodied brains.Less
This book provides analysis of how human biology, as well as human culture, determines the ways films are made and experienced. This new approach is called “bioculturalism.” The book shows how important formats, such as films for children, romantic films, pornography, fantasy films, horror films, and sad melodramas, appeal to an array of different emotions that have been ingrained in the human embodied brain by the evolutionary process. The book also discusses how these biological dispositions are molded by culture. It explains why certain themes and emotions fascinate viewers all over the globe at all times, and how different cultures invest their own values and tastes in the universal themes.The book further uses the breakthroughs of modern brain science to explain central features of film aesthetics and to construct a general model of aesthetic experience, the PECMA flow model, which explains how the flow of information and emotions in the embodied brain provides a series of aesthetic experiences. The combination of film theory, cognitive psychology, neurology, and evolutionary theory provides explanations for why narrative forms are appealing and how and why art films use different mental mechanisms than those that support mainstream narrative films, as well as how film evokes images of inner, spiritual life and feelings of realism.Embodied Visions provides a new synthesis in film and media studies and aesthetics that combines cultural history with the long history of the evolution of our embodied brains.
Anjan Chatterjee and Eileen Cardilo (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- November 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197513620
- eISBN:
- 9780197513651
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197513620.001.0001
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience
Neuroscience joins the long history of discussions about aesthetics in psychology, philosophy, art history, and the creative arts. In this volume, leading scholars in this nascent field reflect on ...
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Neuroscience joins the long history of discussions about aesthetics in psychology, philosophy, art history, and the creative arts. In this volume, 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 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. 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. The volume targets the general public; it also serves as an important resource for scientists, humanitarians, educators, and newcomers to the field, and it will catalyze interdisciplinary conversations critical to the maturation of this young field.Less
Neuroscience joins the long history of discussions about aesthetics in psychology, philosophy, art history, and the creative arts. In this volume, 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 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. 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. The volume targets the general public; it also serves as an important resource for scientists, humanitarians, educators, and newcomers to the field, and it will catalyze interdisciplinary conversations critical to the maturation of this young field.
Anjan Chatterjee and Eileen R. Cardillo
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- November 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197513620
- eISBN:
- 9780197513651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197513620.003.0047
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience
In the closing chapter of this volume, the authors highlight conceptual, methodological, technical, and speculative issues that emerge from the collection and that they believe point to important ...
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In the closing chapter of this volume, the authors highlight conceptual, methodological, technical, and speculative issues that emerge from the collection and that they believe point to important future directions for the field of neuroaesthetics. One fundamental question that runs implicitly through the collection and is answered variously by the authors is what is meant by “aesthetics.” We note, too, opportunities for new lines of research that will significantly advance the models and applied relevance of neuroaesthetics. Such studies might address cross-cultural tests of neuroaesthetic theories, temporal dimensions of aesthetic engagement, multimodal experiences, neurochemical mechanisms, neuropsychological investigations of aesthetic experience, naturalistic experimental designs, and the impact of artificial intelligence and other technologies on our conceptions of art and creativity.Less
In the closing chapter of this volume, the authors highlight conceptual, methodological, technical, and speculative issues that emerge from the collection and that they believe point to important future directions for the field of neuroaesthetics. One fundamental question that runs implicitly through the collection and is answered variously by the authors is what is meant by “aesthetics.” We note, too, opportunities for new lines of research that will significantly advance the models and applied relevance of neuroaesthetics. Such studies might address cross-cultural tests of neuroaesthetic theories, temporal dimensions of aesthetic engagement, multimodal experiences, neurochemical mechanisms, neuropsychological investigations of aesthetic experience, naturalistic experimental designs, and the impact of artificial intelligence and other technologies on our conceptions of art and creativity.
Randall Halle
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252038457
- eISBN:
- 9780252096334
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252038457.003.0005
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Film
This chapter analyzes how the German–Polish border became a new object of filmic representation and investigation. Subsequently, this space has become a regular region of cinematic exploration, and ...
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This chapter analyzes how the German–Polish border became a new object of filmic representation and investigation. Subsequently, this space has become a regular region of cinematic exploration, and the contacts that began during this period have led to an expansion of Polish–German coproductions in general. The chapter argues that borders are first ideational before they are spatial geographical, demonstrating how the mobility of the apparatus is not simply a matter of technological indulgence. Rather, the liberated lens is an expansion of cinema's semiotic field. The cinematic apparatus provides a system whereby the imagination of spatial and geopolitical relationships comes together. As an aspect of the cinematic apparatus, the chapter considers how visual aesthetic strategies, technological innovations, and social policy result in images with particular angles and perspectives.Less
This chapter analyzes how the German–Polish border became a new object of filmic representation and investigation. Subsequently, this space has become a regular region of cinematic exploration, and the contacts that began during this period have led to an expansion of Polish–German coproductions in general. The chapter argues that borders are first ideational before they are spatial geographical, demonstrating how the mobility of the apparatus is not simply a matter of technological indulgence. Rather, the liberated lens is an expansion of cinema's semiotic field. The cinematic apparatus provides a system whereby the imagination of spatial and geopolitical relationships comes together. As an aspect of the cinematic apparatus, the chapter considers how visual aesthetic strategies, technological innovations, and social policy result in images with particular angles and perspectives.
Judith L. Sensibar
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- October 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780300115031
- eISBN:
- 9780300142433
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300115031.003.0014
- Subject:
- Literature, American, 20th Century Literature
This chapter examines the influence of William Faulkner's mother and grandmother on his visual aesthetics. It explains that Faulkner crossed a cultural divide into feminine pursuits when he declared ...
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This chapter examines the influence of William Faulkner's mother and grandmother on his visual aesthetics. It explains that Faulkner crossed a cultural divide into feminine pursuits when he declared himself an artist and describes how he responded to the culturally gendered notion of art throughout his career. It also discusses Faulkner's use of drawings, photographs, and fictional photographs and filmic and photographic tropes for a variety of purposes.Less
This chapter examines the influence of William Faulkner's mother and grandmother on his visual aesthetics. It explains that Faulkner crossed a cultural divide into feminine pursuits when he declared himself an artist and describes how he responded to the culturally gendered notion of art throughout his career. It also discusses Faulkner's use of drawings, photographs, and fictional photographs and filmic and photographic tropes for a variety of purposes.
Enric Munar and Camilo J. Cela-Conde
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- November 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197513620
- eISBN:
- 9780197513651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197513620.003.0019
- Subject:
- Neuroscience, Behavioral Neuroscience
As discussed in both the original study and the current chapter, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a required neural player in the aesthetic appraisal and a basic stage of the aesthetic ...
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As discussed in both the original study and the current chapter, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a required neural player in the aesthetic appraisal and a basic stage of the aesthetic experience. As the distinct activation that the authors found in the neuroimaging study occurred when participants rated as beautiful natural, artistic, and decorative stimuli, we concluded that left DLPFC responded to aesthetic qualities in general and not to specific artistic qualities. More recent studies indicate that the function of the LPFC in relation to aesthetics may be to exercise cognitive control to direct attention with a proper aesthetic orientation. Other studies suggest that LPFC is part of a frontal “evaluative” network which supports an analysis of emotional response and personal relevance. Specifically, left DLPFC seems to affect the evaluation of different images, disengaging from a habitual mode of identifying objects in order to adopt an aesthetic perspective.Less
As discussed in both the original study and the current chapter, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) is a required neural player in the aesthetic appraisal and a basic stage of the aesthetic experience. As the distinct activation that the authors found in the neuroimaging study occurred when participants rated as beautiful natural, artistic, and decorative stimuli, we concluded that left DLPFC responded to aesthetic qualities in general and not to specific artistic qualities. More recent studies indicate that the function of the LPFC in relation to aesthetics may be to exercise cognitive control to direct attention with a proper aesthetic orientation. Other studies suggest that LPFC is part of a frontal “evaluative” network which supports an analysis of emotional response and personal relevance. Specifically, left DLPFC seems to affect the evaluation of different images, disengaging from a habitual mode of identifying objects in order to adopt an aesthetic perspective.
Deborah Shamoon
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- November 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780824835422
- eISBN:
- 9780824870638
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Hawai'i Press
- DOI:
- 10.21313/hawaii/9780824835422.003.0004
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Asian Studies
This chapter discusses the narrative and visual aesthetics of girls' magazines in Japan during the preward period. More specifically, it examines the illustrations and serialized girls' novels (shōjo ...
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This chapter discusses the narrative and visual aesthetics of girls' magazines in Japan during the preward period. More specifically, it examines the illustrations and serialized girls' novels (shōjo shōsetsu) that appeared at the front of each issue of magazines such as Shōjo no tomo, Shōjo club, and Shōjo gahō. The chapter first provides an overview of the art world in prewar Japan before turning to the visual aesthetics of girls' magazines by focusing on the works of Yumeji Takehisa, Takabatake Kashō, and Nakahara Jun'ichi. It also considers the role played by the novelist Yoshiya Nobuko in the formation of girls' novels as a genre. Finally, it explains how serialized novels and the illustrations that accompanied them worked together to create a recognizable aesthetic of girls' culture.Less
This chapter discusses the narrative and visual aesthetics of girls' magazines in Japan during the preward period. More specifically, it examines the illustrations and serialized girls' novels (shōjo shōsetsu) that appeared at the front of each issue of magazines such as Shōjo no tomo, Shōjo club, and Shōjo gahō. The chapter first provides an overview of the art world in prewar Japan before turning to the visual aesthetics of girls' magazines by focusing on the works of Yumeji Takehisa, Takabatake Kashō, and Nakahara Jun'ichi. It also considers the role played by the novelist Yoshiya Nobuko in the formation of girls' novels as a genre. Finally, it explains how serialized novels and the illustrations that accompanied them worked together to create a recognizable aesthetic of girls' culture.
Angela Tarango
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- August 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190280192
- eISBN:
- 9780190280222
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190280192.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines the visual aesthetics of three Native American casinos in Oklahoma to explore how the Cherokee, Quapaw, and Choctaw grapple with their public identities and choose to portray ...
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This chapter examines the visual aesthetics of three Native American casinos in Oklahoma to explore how the Cherokee, Quapaw, and Choctaw grapple with their public identities and choose to portray their cultures. The chapter argues that by including specific material objects, visuals, pictures, and design in their casinos, each tribe publicly creates its own identity, one that is rooted in the history of removal as well as the adoption of Oklahoma as a new homeland.Less
This chapter examines the visual aesthetics of three Native American casinos in Oklahoma to explore how the Cherokee, Quapaw, and Choctaw grapple with their public identities and choose to portray their cultures. The chapter argues that by including specific material objects, visuals, pictures, and design in their casinos, each tribe publicly creates its own identity, one that is rooted in the history of removal as well as the adoption of Oklahoma as a new homeland.