Vision and Art: The Biology of SeeingWe recognize the artistry of Mona Lisa's elusive smile, but is there an underlying science? In this groundbreaking study, Harvard neurobiologist Margaret Livingstone explains how vision works. She tells us how great painters fool the brain: why Mona Lisa's smile seems so mysterious, Monet's Poppy Field appears to sway in the breeze, Mondrian's Broadway Boogie Woogie blinks like the lights of Times Square, and Warhol's Electric Chair pulses with current. Drawing on history and her own cutting-edge discoveries, Livingstone offers intriguing insights, from explanations of common optical illusions to speculations on the correlation of learning disabilities with artistic skill. Her lucid, accessible theories are illustrated throughout with fine art and clear diagrams. In his foreword, Nobel Prize-winner Hubel posits that neurobiology will enhance the art of the future just as anatomy did in centuries past. That future begins with this fascinating book. |
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activity acuity appear artists background blue brain center of gaze center/surround organization changes Claude Monet color and luminance Color system color-opponent colorblind colors of light cone pigment contours cortex cues cyan dark David Hubel daylight define depth distinguish dots double-opponent dyslexia equiluminant colors example eyes fact flat fluorescent fovea gray illuminated illusion illusory Impressionist inputs kinds layers Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci light reflected lighter look luminance contrast luminance signal motion nanometers neurons objects opponent optic painting parietal lobe perceive perception peripheral vision photograph photoreceptors pigments pixels plane Pointillism primary purple range of luminances receptive fields receptors red light region relative resolution retina retinal ganglion cells rods scene sensitive shading shadows spatial imprecision spot stereopsis subdivisions surface surround television thalamus three cone types three-dimensional tiny tion visible light visible spectrum visual perception visual system wavelength wavelength nanometers wavelengths of light white light yellow