Neuroaesthetics. Cognitive neuroscience research on the perception of visual arts

Abstract

Neuroaesthetics, also called experimental aesthetics, porposes the study of the neural mechanisms that underlie aesthetic perception of the arts, from the perspective of cognitive neuroscience. The neurobiology of aesthetic experience is a growing field of study. This article reviews the main contributions in the field of neuroaesthetics, the concept of aesthetics that underpins this area of study, as well as prominent theoretical models such as the approach of evolutionary aesthetics, reviewing possible contributions to the study of contemporary art. This article proposes the concept of aesthetic experience as a primordial human ability, not exclusive to the arts; a process that is embodied, intersubjective and culturally significant based on neurobiological, affective and hedonic mechanisms, rooted in the brain-body connection.