Hardwired To Seek Beauty

The Australian ^ | 1-13-2006 | Denis Dutton

[blam]

GGG Ping.

Thanks to Shermy for the article.

[blam]

Geometry May Be Hard-Wired Into The Brain, Study Shows

[muawiyah]

"The Darwinian origin of art is a subject of much dispute. It's unlikely that the arts came about at one time or for one purpose: they evolved from overlapping interests based on survival and mate selection, and explore and make use of emotions experienced even by our pre-hominid ancestors.

This part is most subject to criticism. Just about all of us have a "part" of the gene-set that creates "art", and that enables us to appreciate it. Some have the whole thing and they create "art". It happened all at once sometime about 50,000 to 35,000 years ago ~ there was nothing piecemeal about it. The drawings and paintings preserved in the caves have no more primitive origin ~ it was all good from the very first day. It is demonstrable that there are no Darwinian "intermediate" forms or incremental steps when it comes to "art".

[Pharmboy]

Sheesh...what a great find. Thanks for the ping.

And a most interesting connection between geometry and aesthetics...

[blam]

I read a study where 25 art students were allowed to view a picture of a landscape picture with an open area surrounded by trees. They were allowed to view the picture for 30 minutes then, an hour later were asked to recreate/paint the picture from memory.

All 25 of the students paintings had oversized the open area in their paintings.

The test conclusion: It show our primordal longing for the savanah.

My conclusion: Trees are harder to paint than open areas. lol.

[blam]

"And a most interesting connection between geometry and aesthetics..."

I thought you'd appreciate that.

[muawiyah]

Paint ~ they had more already mixed for the color of the open spaces.

This proves art students will always take the easiest pathway in a required project.

[phantomworker]

Interesting Darwinian ping.

[Pharmboy]

You thought right, friend...

[PatrickHenry]

Blam doesn't like it when I turn one of "his" threads into a crevo battlefield. So I will ping only "the few."

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Blam & Shermy.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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[phantomworker]

Ever hear of the Golden Ratio? A very incredible math principle that was used in ancient architecture!

http://www.jimloy.com/geometry/golden.htm

[grey_whiskers]

My conclusion: Trees are harder to paint than open areas. lol.

Great Peanuts strip of yesteryear.

Linus is showing off a drawing to Charlie Brown and Charlie Brown says, "I see you've drawn him with his hands behind his back. That's because you yourself have feelings of insecurity."

Linus retorts (loudly) "It's because I myself CAN'T DRAW HANDS!"

Full Disclosure: I recently saw a picture of Hillary Clinton at some Hollywood event next to Gwyneth Paltrow. Paltrow was braless, in a see-through top. I bet if most people were asked to stare at that for 30 minutes and then re-create it, Hillary wouldn't even appear in their picture :-)

Cheers!

[blam]

"I bet if most people were asked to stare at that for 30 minutes and then re-create it, Hillary wouldn't even appear in their picture :-)"

That was good for a late night chuckle.

[SunkenCiv]

thanks.

[VadeRetro]

Hardwired To Seek Beauty

Dratted groupies! Why can't they just leave me alone?

[PatrickHenry]

It's all that hard wiring they've heard about.

[jimtorr]

It happened all at once sometime about 50,000 to 35,000 years ago.....

All at once, over a 15,000 year period? Those cave paintings show that they were created over a very long period. Also, just because we haven't found anything older is not evidence that nothing was done before then.

I would argue that the existence of jewerly that is far older than any cave painting shows that the origion of the esthetic arts is truly primordial.

[muawiyah]

I give it the extra 15,000 years just in case we find something older than the materials that started showing up 35,000 years ago.

Now, about the "jewelry" ~ unless it's been handpolished, carved into a recognizable animal or human form, had a hole drilled in it to hang on a thong, it ain't art ~ just a shiny rock and even crows like shiny rocks.