Jon Newman
31-05-2007, 03:27 AM
The following is an interesting article. See more here (http://www.unipr.it/arpa/mirror/english/staff/gallese.htm)
Abstract
The implications of the discovery of mirroring
mechanisms and embodied simulation for empathetic
responses to images in general, and to works of visual
art in particular, have not yet been assessed. Here, we
address this issue and we challenge the primacy of
cognition in responses to art. We propose that a crucial
element of esthetic response consists of the activation of
embodied mechanisms encompassing the simulation of
actions, emotions and corporeal sensation, and that
these mechanisms are universal. This basic level of
reaction to images is essential to understanding the
effectiveness both of everyday images and of works of
art. Historical, cultural and other contextual factors do
not preclude the importance of considering the neural
processes that arise in the empathetic understanding of
visual artworks.
Abstract
The implications of the discovery of mirroring
mechanisms and embodied simulation for empathetic
responses to images in general, and to works of visual
art in particular, have not yet been assessed. Here, we
address this issue and we challenge the primacy of
cognition in responses to art. We propose that a crucial
element of esthetic response consists of the activation of
embodied mechanisms encompassing the simulation of
actions, emotions and corporeal sensation, and that
these mechanisms are universal. This basic level of
reaction to images is essential to understanding the
effectiveness both of everyday images and of works of
art. Historical, cultural and other contextual factors do
not preclude the importance of considering the neural
processes that arise in the empathetic understanding of
visual artworks.