The discovery channel and pbs have run specials about "The Science of
Physical Attraction" or some such title and if you have cable maybe
you can catch it. I saw that they reran it a few days ago on
Discovery. They say among other things that humans are attracted to
certain proportions in human figures which happen to be the same as
those of classical greek figures. Sociologists have traveled the
globe testing this idea out on people of all cultures and they
consider the evidence to be overwhelming. This is where I first
became aware that there are certain hardwired preferences in certain
formal relationships in human beings.
Concerning taste, have you read Hume's "A Standard of Taste"?
On Feb 11, 2009, at 1:45 PM, Chris Miller wrote:
David, I am suggesting that common 'truths' need to be examined.
We live in an age that priveleges the scientific/ technical way
over the
aesthetic - so it wants to find "the nuts and bolts" of everything
-- in this
case, presenting "the formal aspects of art" or the "psychology of
vision" or
"visual literacy". But when these ideas are examined -- poof ! ---
they
vanish.
The only "definable and measurable" truths about art are surveys of
taste:
what kinds of people prefer what kinds of things.
***************
*********************************************
I entered this discussion because you had questions about the
phrases "visual
literacy" and "formalist credentials" and I just tried to inform
you about
what those phrases commonly refer to. I've even heard terms like
those used in
a pejorative sense as in that case of my instructor who was told
that he had
mastered all these formal
techniques and couldn't seem to say anything with them. These are
aspects of
the psychology of vision that we use to see form, space and color that
virtually all humans share. This is why I call them truths. Do you
have to
employ them all in artworks to make a good work of art? No. I like
Frank
Stella's minimalist paintings and there is no
perspective. He's still called a formalist. The formal aspects of
visual art
are just the nuts and bolts of all artworks. They don't always add
up to a
great work of art.
____________________________________________________________
Need cash? Click here to get a payday loan.
http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/
PnY6rc1k6AZV19gXMDD0FHk6Alrp81
VzSi9LfWnKl9amBIuwoi6ri/
