Arnheim, Gestalt and Art: A Psychological Theory (Paperback)

by Ian Verstegen (Author)
Key Phrases: expressive judgments, balancing center, phenomenal identity, New York, Kurt Lewin, Wolfgang Köhler (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Arnheim, Gestalt and Art is the first book-length discussion of the powerful thinking of the psychologist of art, Rudolf Arnheim. Written as a complete overview of Arnheim’s thinking, it covers fundamental issues of the importance of psychological discussion of the arts, the status of gestalt psychology, the various sense modalities and media, and developmental issues. By proceeding in a direction from general to specific and then proceeding through dynamic processes as they unfold in time (creativity, development, etc.), the book discovers an unappreciated unity to Arnheim’s thinking. Not content to simply summarize Arnheim’s theory, however, Arnheim, Art, and Gestalt goes on to enrich (and occasionally question) Arnheim’s findings with the contemporary results of gestalt-theoretical research from around the world, but especially in Italy and Germany. The result is a workable overview of the psychology of art with bridges built to contemporary research, making Arnheim’s approach living and sustainable.

About the Author
The author is a professional art historian but began his career at the University of Michigan where he met Rudolf Arnheim. Subsequently he studied experimental psychology with Alain Gilchrist and then devoted himself to art history. Never losing his interest in psychology, he has cultiavated relationships with European psychologists whose works provide much of the impetus of this book. He has gone on to write several professional papers on the thinking of Arnheim, gestalt psychology, not to mention works on Rennaissance and Baroque painting and perspective theory, including editing a book on the art patronage of the Della Rovere Family, The Della Rovere: The Creation and Maintenance of a Noble Identity.

Product Details

• Paperback: 188 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (October 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3211288643
• ISBN-13: 978-3211288641
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,259,709 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)