The Delivery of the Keys by Perugino (Sistine Chapel, 1482)

The most interesting aspect of neuroarthistory is the way it enables us to get inside the minds of people who either could not or did not write about their work. John Onians

In an attempt to further understand the creative process, the recent interest in neuroarthistory contributes to the ongoing investigation into human cognition and consciousness. Echoing the ‘embodied mind’ texts of Lakoff & Johnson (Philosophy in the Flesh) Neuroarthistory by John Onians confirms that by adopting a textual or ‘clerical’ approach to cognition provides us with limited access to human nature. Onians cherrypicks 25 philosophers and scientists who exemplify theories of embodiment – from the location of ‘psyche’ by Aristotle to the neuroesthetics of Semir Zeki. In the process Onian’s makes some interesting obsevations e.g. he links the empanthetic neural activity of ‘mirror neurons’ to Alberti’s understanding that a painted scence ‘will move spectators when the men in the picture outwardly demonstrate their own feelings as clearly as possible’ and similarly that people looking at beautiful faces take on their expression. Another thesis is that Perspective emerged from the converging grid-like linearity of Roman city architecture, as seen in the above fresco by Perugino.

A great prelude to an increasingly important debate however Onians & Zeki’s current neuroesthetic agenda is problematic due to their sensory preoccupation with the visual. Ignoring the hyperesthetic effects of electronic media on the nervous system (McLuhan et al) reduces neuroesthetics to the same textual shortcomings their research aims to obsolesce. Developing other biofeedback technologies like the biosensecam and thrillchip by Lydnsay Williams may provide neuroarthistory and neuroesthetics with a more subjectively-biased outcome.