Aesthetic experiences and their theoretical and neuroaesthetic context: An integrate literature review of the theoretical concept of Einfühlung and its relation to neuroaesthetics
(2021) KOVM10 20211Division of Art History and Visual Studies
- Abstract
- How we as viewers emotionally connect and interact with art and other aesthetic experiences is a widely debated topic in the art historical discourse. Following German aesthetician and philosopher Robert Vischer’s theorisation of the concept of Einfühlung during the 1870s, the empathic discourse has intrigued and engaged thinkers throughout centuries. With the discovery of mirror neurons in the human brain in the 1990s, the actuality of the empathic discourse resurfaced, marking empathy as a corner stone in theoretical development of theory of attentiveness and embodied simulation theory. In the contemporary discourse, neuroaesthetics and neuroarthistory have been introduced as new disciplines, utilising neuroscientific research as an... (More)
- How we as viewers emotionally connect and interact with art and other aesthetic experiences is a widely debated topic in the art historical discourse. Following German aesthetician and philosopher Robert Vischer’s theorisation of the concept of Einfühlung during the 1870s, the empathic discourse has intrigued and engaged thinkers throughout centuries. With the discovery of mirror neurons in the human brain in the 1990s, the actuality of the empathic discourse resurfaced, marking empathy as a corner stone in theoretical development of theory of attentiveness and embodied simulation theory. In the contemporary discourse, neuroaesthetics and neuroarthistory have been introduced as new disciplines, utilising neuroscientific research as an approach to systematically study aesthetic experiences. The purpose of this study is to outline selected conceptualisations of empathy and their art historical context. Secondly, the study will aim to examine how the concept can be utilised in the contemporary empathic discourse, in relation to recent neuroscientific research and found evidence of mirror neurons. An integrate literature review will be conducted on a selection of
historic and contemporary literature. The research question (In what ways can the concept of Einfühlung be considered in relation to neuroaesthetics and how can it be used regarding aesthetic experiences?) will be answered through two partitions. Firstly, the study will regard the results of the integrate literature review, considering at the conceptualisation of Einfühlung and its contextual and historical relevance in the contemporary discourse on neuroaestethics and aesthetic experiences. Secondly, the study will discuss the critique posed against neuroaesthetics and embodied simulation theory, again considering the results of the integrate literature review. The study will be concluded with a discussion regarding suggested further study on the subject. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9067434
- author
- Johansson, Amanda LU
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- KOVM10 20211
- year
- 2021
- type
- H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
- subject
- keywords
- Empathy, Einfühlung, Empathy theory, Embodied simulation, Mirror neurons, Neuroaesthetics, Aesthetic experiences
- language
- English
- id
- 9067434
- date added to LUP
- 2022-05-03 12:14:04
- date last changed
- 2022-05-03 12:14:04
@misc{9067434,
abstract = {{How we as viewers emotionally connect and interact with art and other aesthetic experiences is a widely debated topic in the art historical discourse. Following German aesthetician and philosopher Robert Vischer’s theorisation of the concept of Einfühlung during the 1870s, the empathic discourse has intrigued and engaged thinkers throughout centuries. With the discovery of mirror neurons in the human brain in the 1990s, the actuality of the empathic discourse resurfaced, marking empathy as a corner stone in theoretical development of theory of attentiveness and embodied simulation theory. In the contemporary discourse, neuroaesthetics and neuroarthistory have been introduced as new disciplines, utilising neuroscientific research as an approach to systematically study aesthetic experiences. The purpose of this study is to outline selected conceptualisations of empathy and their art historical context. Secondly, the study will aim to examine how the concept can be utilised in the contemporary empathic discourse, in relation to recent neuroscientific research and found evidence of mirror neurons. An integrate literature review will be conducted on a selection of
historic and contemporary literature. The research question (In what ways can the concept of Einfühlung be considered in relation to neuroaesthetics and how can it be used regarding aesthetic experiences?) will be answered through two partitions. Firstly, the study will regard the results of the integrate literature review, considering at the conceptualisation of Einfühlung and its contextual and historical relevance in the contemporary discourse on neuroaestethics and aesthetic experiences. Secondly, the study will discuss the critique posed against neuroaesthetics and embodied simulation theory, again considering the results of the integrate literature review. The study will be concluded with a discussion regarding suggested further study on the subject.}},
author = {{Johansson, Amanda}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Aesthetic experiences and their theoretical and neuroaesthetic context: An integrate literature review of the theoretical concept of Einfühlung and its relation to neuroaesthetics}},
year = {{2021}},
}