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What is Art? by Leo Tolstoy/translated by Almyer Maude
Tolstoy presents a lifetime of research concerning aesthetics and the notion of art in a typically cynical manner. An enjoyable and thought-provoking book which destroys previous notions of Art in favor of a more logical, philosophically sound approach to the definition of art. The best book ever written on the subject of aesthetics and the social aspects of defining art. |
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Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing by Margaret Livingstone
"In Vision and Art, Harvard neurobiologist Margaret Livingstone explains how the human vision system works and demonstrates [that] the questions about art depend ultimately on the cells in our eyes and our brains. In his foreword to this groundbreaking volume, Nobel Prize winner David Hubel expresses the hope that 'in the future, visual neurobiology will enhance art in much the same way as a knowledge of bones and muscles has for centuries enhanced the ability of artists to portray the human body.' The future begins now, with this far-reaching book." Well stated, from the book jacket. It might have been better put to compare visual neurobiology's effects on art to the effect knowledge of anatomy has had on medicine. A great read for anybody interested in understanding sight or any field of art. |