What can art tell us about how the brain works? And what can the brain tell us about how we perceive and create art? Humans have created visual art throughout history and its significance has been an endless source of fascination and debate. Visual art is a product of the human brain; but is art so complex and sophisticated that brain function and evolution are not relevant to our understanding? This book explores the links between visual art and the brain by examining a broad range of issues including: the impact of eye and brain disorders on artistic output; the relevance of Darwinian principles to aesthetics; and the constraints imposed by brain processes on the perception of space; motion and colour in art. Arguments and theories are presented in an accessible manner and general principles are illustrated with specific art examples; helping students to apply their knowledge to new artworks.
#487927 in eBooks 2011-09-01 2011-09-01File Name: B00EXC6MAI
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy kbreezeGreat book for all around drawing techniques.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerVery happy with this book. Have already recommended it to friends.16 of 17 people found the following review helpful. Dont make promises you cant keepBy LeopoldPriceAs someone who is interested in learning to draw but has never had any natural talent; I was in search of a book to teach me the basics in order to get me started. So off to I went; where I saw two very similar looking books promising that; yes; anyone can draw. So; without hesitation; I ordered both this book as well as the book Anyone Can Arts...Anyone Can Draw by Peter Kraus (As seen here: Anyone Can Arts...ANYONE CAN DRAW ) and decided to compare the two from the perspective of a complete beginner looking to find my inner artist. The results were rather one sided as I found Barrington Barbers book rather lacking in the actual teaching part of teaching me to draw.The cover claims that I can "Create sensational artwork in easy steps;" but the "steps" were rather non-existent. As a complete beginner (the target audience for this book); my jaw hung open when I saw the complexity of the drawings compared to the number of steps. A bowel of fruit; for example; contained more or less the steps of Draw a bowel and the shapes of the fruit; then draw the details; then shade and you are done. I can not stress this enough; as a complete beginner; I HAVE NO IDEA HOW TO ACCURATELY DRAW THE FRUIT IN THE FIRST PLACE; not to mention the bowel and you can forget about learning how to shade. Its almost as though the book was questioning my intelligence; I can assure you; if I knew how to draw the fruit and the bowel; I think I can figure out how to put them together and draw a bowel of fruit. I am not an idiot.Unfortunately; as I looked through the book I realized it would only get worse. The difficulty of this book for a beginner starts out at high; and cranks it up to needing a BA in arts in order to understand what is being said. Off the top of your head (assuming you are not already an artist) do you know what the term negative space means? I didnt; but this book is under the impression that I do; and it uses that and other such terms regularly and without definition. I was told to follow the contour of the shape; only to scratch my head wondering what the contour was. Could I have Googled it? Yes; but I SHOULDNT HAVE TO; especially when Im supposedly learning to draw.All in all; the book has this feeling that it was written by a talented artist that has completely forgotten what it is like to be a beginner. Who knows; maybe Barrington Barber never had to struggle with simple strait lines. Maybe Barrington Barber was able to draw perfectly shaped circles since birth; I am not Barrington Barber though. I struggle to draw strait lines; and the promise of an average guy being able to draw something worthwhile went completely unfulfilled.I am happy to say; however; that the other book I ordered by Peter Kraus addressed literally all of my issues with Barringtons book. It started simple (I can actually draw lines now! Mother would be so proud!); defined everything (I actually know what both Negative space AND contour are now; by the way); and all in all took me one step at a time; holding my hand all the while and assuring me everything would be okay. Kraus book is like a nurturing mother; Barringtons is like a mother bird pushing you out of the nest and hoping you can fly.I hope you read this review and listen to a man that really; really wanted to learn how to draw. I can not in good conscience recommend this book to ANY beginner such as myself. It assumes you have an understanding of art that you could not possibly possess unless you already know how to draw; which defeats the purpose of buying it in the first place.