Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance
To compose art, artists rely on a set of sensory evaluations performed fluently by the brain. The outcome of these evaluations, which we call neuroaesthetic variables, helps to compose art with high aesthetic value. In this study, we probed whether these variables varied across art periods despite r...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-01-01
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| Series: | Entropy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/22/2/146 |
| _version_ | 1818005668916887552 |
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| author | Ivan Correa-Herran Hassan Aleem Norberto M. Grzywacz |
| author_facet | Ivan Correa-Herran Hassan Aleem Norberto M. Grzywacz |
| author_sort | Ivan Correa-Herran |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To compose art, artists rely on a set of sensory evaluations performed fluently by the brain. The outcome of these evaluations, which we call neuroaesthetic variables, helps to compose art with high aesthetic value. In this study, we probed whether these variables varied across art periods despite relatively unvaried neural function. We measured several neuroaesthetic variables in portrait paintings from the Early and High Renaissance, and from Mannerism. The variables included symmetry, balance, and contrast (chiaroscuro), as well as intensity and spatial complexities measured by two forms of normalized entropy. The results showed that the degree of symmetry remained relatively constant during the Renaissance. However, the balance of portraits decayed abruptly at the end of the Early Renaissance, that is, at the closing of the 15th century. Intensity and spatial complexities, and thus entropies, of portraits also fell in such manner around the same time. Our data also showed that the decline of complexity and entropy could be attributed to the rise of chiaroscuro. With few exceptions, the values of aesthetic variables from the top of artists of the Renaissance resembled those of their peers. We conclude that neuroaesthetic variables have flexibility to change in brains of artists (and observers). |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:47:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3cc825ac9d84421a8ab0f88cd3cdf21c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1099-4300 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T04:47:10Z |
| publishDate | 2020-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Entropy |
| spelling | doaj.art-3cc825ac9d84421a8ab0f88cd3cdf21c2022-12-22T02:11:25ZengMDPI AGEntropy1099-43002020-01-0122214610.3390/e22020146e22020146Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the RenaissanceIvan Correa-Herran0Hassan Aleem1Norberto M. Grzywacz2Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USAInterdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USADepartment of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USATo compose art, artists rely on a set of sensory evaluations performed fluently by the brain. The outcome of these evaluations, which we call neuroaesthetic variables, helps to compose art with high aesthetic value. In this study, we probed whether these variables varied across art periods despite relatively unvaried neural function. We measured several neuroaesthetic variables in portrait paintings from the Early and High Renaissance, and from Mannerism. The variables included symmetry, balance, and contrast (chiaroscuro), as well as intensity and spatial complexities measured by two forms of normalized entropy. The results showed that the degree of symmetry remained relatively constant during the Renaissance. However, the balance of portraits decayed abruptly at the end of the Early Renaissance, that is, at the closing of the 15th century. Intensity and spatial complexities, and thus entropies, of portraits also fell in such manner around the same time. Our data also showed that the decline of complexity and entropy could be attributed to the rise of chiaroscuro. With few exceptions, the values of aesthetic variables from the top of artists of the Renaissance resembled those of their peers. We conclude that neuroaesthetic variables have flexibility to change in brains of artists (and observers).https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/22/2/146neuroaestheticssymmetrybalancecomplexitychiaroscuronormalized entropyrenaissanceportrait paintingsart historyart statistics |
| spellingShingle | Ivan Correa-Herran Hassan Aleem Norberto M. Grzywacz Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance Entropy neuroaesthetics symmetry balance complexity chiaroscuro normalized entropy renaissance portrait paintings art history art statistics |
| title | Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance |
| title_full | Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance |
| title_fullStr | Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance |
| title_short | Evolution of Neuroaesthetic Variables in Portrait Paintings throughout the Renaissance |
| title_sort | evolution of neuroaesthetic variables in portrait paintings throughout the renaissance |
| topic | neuroaesthetics symmetry balance complexity chiaroscuro normalized entropy renaissance portrait paintings art history art statistics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/22/2/146 |
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