How Neuroimaging Is Transforming Our Understanding of Aesthetic Taste

Mapping Intimacies ◽

10.1093/oso/9780197513620.003.0007 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 31-35

Author(s):

Martin Skov

Keyword(s):

Neural Activity ◽

18Th Century ◽

Aesthetic Appreciation ◽

Specific Kind ◽

Aesthetic Taste ◽

Cast Doubt ◽

Hedonic Evaluation

The concept of aesthetic appreciation is a historical construction with a history that traces back to the beginning of the 18th century. It proposes the idea that humans can experience a specific kind of nonutilitarian pleasure when exposed to a distinct set of aesthetic qualities. This chapter surveys findings from recent neuroimaging studies that have cast doubt on this idea. It explains how studies of neural activity associated with aesthetic appreciation have found “aesthetic” liking to engage similar neural structures as utilitarian liking, suggesting that aesthetic appreciation is rooted in computational principles that are common to hedonic evaluation broadly.

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Aesthetic appreciation of experiments: The case of 18th-century mimetic experiments

International Studies in the Philosophy of Science ◽

10.1080/02698590120118828 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 49-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Alexander Rueger

Keyword(s):

18Th Century ◽

Aesthetic Appreciation

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Fundatio Orzełkoviana – przyczynek do dziejów wielkopolskich fundacji stypendialnych okresu staropolskiego

Biuletyn Historii Wychowania ◽

10.14746/bhw.2010.26.6 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 81-86

Author(s):

Michał Nowicki

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

18Th Century ◽

Good Condition ◽

Source Material ◽

Academic Education ◽

Specific Kind ◽

Financial Factors ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Relevant Case ◽

And Control

Most of articles on patronage in Greater Poland from the 16th to the 18th century concerns a direct dependence between the patron and the client. Thus, the present work concentrates on a specific kind of patronage – scholarship foundations, which are only briefly mentioned in historiography. Some of them are not known. “Fundatio orzelkoviana” serves as an example here to show the need for detailed relevant case studies to supplement the available data. Founded by Marcin Orzeł in 1566, the foundation existed for many years and helped young people to achieve academic education. Ius patronatus and control of the foundation was assigned to the Catedral Chapter of Poznań. Admittedly, this Chapter was interested in keeping the foundation in good condition, e. g. by being aware of economic and financial factors influencing the foundation and by carrying out the recovery in debts, be it rents or fees. The source material for the present discussion comes from the Main Archive for Poznań Archdiocese (mainly the acts of the Cathedral Chapter of Poznań, Consistory Court and the canonical visitation of Bishop Tholibowski).

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The SSVEP tracks attention, not consciousness, during perceptual filling-in

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.60031 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew J Davidson ◽

Will Mithen ◽

Hinze Hogendoorn ◽

Jeroen JA van Boxtel ◽

Naotsugu Tsuchiya

Keyword(s):

Neural Activity ◽

Direct Relationship ◽

Conscious Perception ◽

Alpha Band ◽

Visually Evoked Potentials ◽

Dynamic Texture ◽

Neural Responses ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Cast Doubt ◽

Band Activity

Research on the neural basis of conscious perception has almost exclusively shown that becoming aware of a stimulus leads to increased neural responses. By designing a novel form of perceptual filling-in (PFI) overlaid with a dynamic texture display, we frequency-tagged multiple disappearing targets as well as their surroundings. We show that in a PFI paradigm, the disappearance of a stimulus and subjective invisibility is associated with increases in neural activity, as measured with steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEPs), in electroencephalography (EEG). We also find that this increase correlates with alpha-band activity, a well-established neural measure of attention. These findings cast doubt on the direct relationship previously reported between the strength of neural activity and conscious perception, at least when measured with current tools, such as the SSVEP. Instead, we conclude that SSVEP strength more closely measures changes in attention.

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Discurso ilustrado como defensa de la obra artística: «que es destreza del arte y no pintura deshonesta»

Cuadernos de Estudios del Siglo XVIII ◽

10.17811/cesxviii.28.2018.191-218 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 191

Author(s):

Pascual Santos López ◽

Manuela Caballero González ◽

Laura Santos Caballero

Keyword(s):

Speech Perception ◽

19Th Century ◽

18Th Century ◽

16Th Century ◽

Spanish Society ◽

Aesthetic Taste ◽

Artistic Work ◽

Artistic Works ◽

The Aesthetic ◽

The 19Th Century

RESUMENEn el presente trabajo analizamos diferentes casos de censura inquisitorial sobre pinturas deshonestas, obras artísticas y representaciones consideradas indecentes por la Inquisición a finales del siglo XVIII y principios del XIX, tanto en la Península como en sus reinos de Indias, además de la evolución de la percepción en este tipo de obras desde el XVI. Estudiamos las resistencias, motivaciones y razones expuestas por acusados para justificar su libre posesión, comercialización y exhibición y su relación con el discurso y el pensamiento ilustrado, permeado ya en esta época a niveles populares de la sociedad española. Mostramos también las diferentes influencias y apropiaciones culturales, los cambios en la axiología, el gusto estético y el pensamiento de los españoles, así como los intentos de control de la moral por parte de los inquisidores y sus reacciones.PALABRAS CLAVEIlustración, Discurso ilustrado, Percepción del arte, Inquisición, Censura. TITLEEnlightened speech as a defense of artistic work: «that is art dexterity and not dishonest painting»ABSTRACTIn the present work we analyze different cases of inquisitorial censorship on dishonest paintings, artistic works and representations considered indecent by the Inquisition at end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century, both in Peninsula and in its kingdoms of Indies, besides the evolution of perception on this kind of works from 16th century. We study the resistances, motivations and reasons exposed by defendants to justify their free possession, commercialization and exhibition and their relationship with the enlightened discourse and thought, permeated at this time at popular levels of Spanish society. We also show the different influences and cultural appropriations, the changes in the axiology, the aesthetic taste and the Spanish thought, as well as the attempts of moral control by inquisitors and their reactions.KEY WORDSEnlightenment, Enlightened speech, Perception of art, Inquisition, Censorship.

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