title: What does the brain tell us about abstract art?
abstract: In this essay I focus on the question of why we are attracted to abstract art (perhaps more accurately, non-representational or object-free art). After elaborating on the processing of visual art in general and abstract art in particular, I discuss recent data from neuroscience and behavioral studies related to abstract art. I conclude with several speculations concerning our apparent appeal to this particular type of art. In particular, I claim that abstract art frees our brain from the dominance of reality, enabling it to flow within its inner states, create new emotional and cognitive associations, and activate brain-states that are otherwise harder to access. This process is apparently rewarding as it enables the exploration of yet undiscovered inner territories of the viewer's brain.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dance, The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Vered
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aviv
keywords: abstract art; art and associations; artistic preference; neural correlates of art; neuroesthetics