The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain (Mit Press/Bradford Books Series in Cognitive Psychology) [Hardcover]

Robert L. Solso (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0262194848 | ISBN-13: 978-0262194846 | Publication Date: December 19, 2003

How did the human brain evolve so that consciousness of art could develop? In The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain, Robert Solso describes how a consciousness that evolved for other purposes perceives and creates art.Drawing on his earlier book Cognition and the Visual Arts and ten years of new findings in cognitive research (as well as new ideas in anthropology and art history), Solso shows that consciousness developed gradually, with distinct components that evolved over time. One of these components is an adaptive consciousness that includes the ability to imagine objects that are not present--an ability that allows us to create (and perceive) visual art.Solso describes the neurological, perceptual, and cognitive sequence that occurs when we view art, and the often inexpressible effect that a work of art has on us. He shows that there are two aspects to viewing art: nativistic perception--the synchronicity of eye and brain that transforms electromagnetic energy into neuro-chemical codes--which is "hard-wired" into the sensory-cognitive system; and directed perception, which incorporates personal history and knowledge--the entire set of our expectations and past experiences. Both forms of perception are part of the appreciation of art, and both are products of the evolution of the conscious brain over hundreds of thousands of years.Solso also investigates the related issues of neurological and artistic perception of the human face, the effects of visual illusions, and the use of perspective. The many works of art used as examples are drawn from a wide range of artistic traditions, from ancient Egypt to Africa and India and the European Renaissance.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fun to read and encyclopedic in its range, the book should be of interest to scholars in many disciplines." V. S. Ramachandran Science

About the Author

Robert L. Solso is Professor and Head of the Cognitive Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: A Bradford Book (December 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262194848
• ISBN-13: 978-0262194846
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars psychology of art, March 3, 2010

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J. Robert Wayland "thinking bear" (ABQ, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain (Bradford Books) (Paperback)

This author has a good knowledge of his subject. His earlier book is wonderful with insight. This book is a revamp of that material with a summary of some recent research. For my needs the first book is more to my taste.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Book, August 2, 2009

By 

Benjamin van Buren - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain (Mit Press/Bradford Books Series in Cognitive Psychology) (Hardcover)

The author, in reviewing the evolution of consciousness in conjuction with that of art, is stretching the field of cognitive science to unprecedented heights. He champions the emerging idea that cognitive neuroscience can teach us something about almost everything.

Also, I found this book far more useful to my research than books by Dutton, Dissanayake, Arnheim, etc on the same subject

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not engaging at all, May 7, 2009

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Mayank Kabra (San Diego) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Psychology of Art and the Evolution of the Conscious Brain (Bradford Books) (Paperback)

I haven't completely read the book, but by skimming through one or two chapters, the book looked very hard to read. The flow isn't set properly which makes it hard to read.