Is there an objective, biological basis for the experience of beauty in art? Or is aesthetic experience entirely subjective? Using fMRI technique, we addressed this question by presenting viewers, na ̈ıve to art criticism, with images of masterpieces of Classical and Renaissance sculpture. Employing proportion as the independent variable, we produced two sets of stimuli: one composed of images of original sculptures; the other of a modified version of the same images. The stimuli were presented in three conditions: observation, aesthetic judgment, and proportion judgment. In the observation condition, the viewers were required to observe the images with the same mind-set as if they were in a museum. In the other two conditions they were required to give an aesthetic or proportion judgment on the same images. Two types of analyses were carried out: one which contrasted brain response to the canonical and the modified sculptures, and one which contrasted beautiful vs. ugly sculptures as judged by each volunteer. The most striking result was that the observation of original sculptures, relative to the modified ones, produced activation of the right insula as well as of some lateral and medial cortical areas (lateral occipital gyrus, precuneus and prefrontal areas). The activation of the insula was particularly strong during the observation condition. Most interestingly, when volunteers were required to give an overt aesthetic judgment, the images judged as beautiful selectively activated the right amygdala, relative to those judged as ugly. We conclude that, in observers na ̈ıve to art criticism, the sense of beauty is mediated by two non-mutually exclusive processes: one based on a joint activation of sets of cortical neurons, triggered by parameters intrinsic to the stimuli, and the insula (objective beauty); the other based on the activation of the amygdala, driven by one’s own emotional experiences (subjective beauty).

Di Dio, C., Macaluso, E., Rizzolatti, G., The Golden Beauty: Brain Response to Classical and Renaissance Sculptures, <<PLOS ONE>>, 2007; 2007 (11): e1201-e1201. [doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001201] [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/60965]

The Golden Beauty: Brain Response to Classical and Renaissance Sculptures

Di Dio, Cinzia;
2007

Abstract

Is there an objective, biological basis for the experience of beauty in art? Or is aesthetic experience entirely subjective? Using fMRI technique, we addressed this question by presenting viewers, na ̈ıve to art criticism, with images of masterpieces of Classical and Renaissance sculpture. Employing proportion as the independent variable, we produced two sets of stimuli: one composed of images of original sculptures; the other of a modified version of the same images. The stimuli were presented in three conditions: observation, aesthetic judgment, and proportion judgment. In the observation condition, the viewers were required to observe the images with the same mind-set as if they were in a museum. In the other two conditions they were required to give an aesthetic or proportion judgment on the same images. Two types of analyses were carried out: one which contrasted brain response to the canonical and the modified sculptures, and one which contrasted beautiful vs. ugly sculptures as judged by each volunteer. The most striking result was that the observation of original sculptures, relative to the modified ones, produced activation of the right insula as well as of some lateral and medial cortical areas (lateral occipital gyrus, precuneus and prefrontal areas). The activation of the insula was particularly strong during the observation condition. Most interestingly, when volunteers were required to give an overt aesthetic judgment, the images judged as beautiful selectively activated the right amygdala, relative to those judged as ugly. We conclude that, in observers na ̈ıve to art criticism, the sense of beauty is mediated by two non-mutually exclusive processes: one based on a joint activation of sets of cortical neurons, triggered by parameters intrinsic to the stimuli, and the insula (objective beauty); the other based on the activation of the amygdala, driven by one’s own emotional experiences (subjective beauty).
2007
Inglese
Di Dio, C., Macaluso, E., Rizzolatti, G., The Golden Beauty: Brain Response to Classical and Renaissance Sculptures, <<PLOS ONE>>, 2007; 2007 (11): e1201-e1201. [doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001201] [http://hdl.handle.net/10807/60965]
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
DiDioetal_GoldenBeauty_2007.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Articolo principale
Tipologia file ?: Versione Editoriale (PDF)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 540.93 kB
Formato Adobe PDF
540.93 kB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10807/60965
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 67
  • Scopus 250
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 212
social impact