Finding Mutual Interest Between Neuroscience and Aesthetics

Abstract

In the article under review in this chapter, a discussion between an art historian and neuroscientists led to a collaborative project to study the influence of authenticity on the reception of artwork. Brain-scanning with functional magnetic resonance imaging led to the identification of a number of distinct areas of the cortex that might be implicated in complex aesthetic judgments. This article provides an informal account of some of the background that led to this study.