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Jun 11, 2022
You stand in front of the Rose Window in Chartres Cathedral, France. Hundreds of people mill about. But you feel as if you are all alone. The vibrant stained glass windows of a century gone by call to you. If this is your first viewing, maybe you lose track of time.
You stand, mesmerized, sensing even physical changes in your body. Perhaps your heart rate elevates or you feel slightly warm?
20 years ago I remember scoring a half-price ticket to the Chicago Symphony.
I went alone.
I remember hearing Barber’s Adagio for Strings for the first time. The music’s tension grew and grew and I felt a clutching in my chest as the music carried me along on a beautiful journey. As the final chords died away, I was in tears, so moved by its power.
Many people, on viewing Degas’s Ballerina paintings have described an overpowering sensation of dancing. That is, they feel their muscles contracting as if they were the ballerina.
So in all these examples, we’ve had a transformative experience with art.
What is going on in our brains when this happens?
That question is at the center of a relatively new area of research called neuroaesthetics. This interdisciplinary field draws researchers from fields like psychology, neuroscience, technology, and the arts. They come from different fields but bring similar questions, such as:
Why do great works of art sometimes move us to tears?
Which areas of our brain ping when we listen to music or view art?
Can art experiences help stave off depression, improve circulation and maintain brain function?
Can art help us to stay healthy as we age?
One of the founders of neuroaesthetics is Semir Zeki at the University College London. Zeki’s book, Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain reports on findings from research on how the brain is influenced by different art experiences.
This research used fMRI machines, that is, machines that measure blood flow to different parts of the brain. As it turns out there are specific brain areas that light up when listening to music. Other areas ping when we view great art and still others when we view beauty.
But back to our examples of the Rose Window and Barber’s Adagio for Strings. As it turns out one area in the brain is common to both music and art experience. And it is very close, perhaps overlapping, another region that lights up when we feel desire and love.
So when we have a transformative experience with a piece of art, we may feel the same physical responses as those we feel when looking at someone we love. The clutching feeling I had when listening to Barber’s music certainly caused this response in me.
But why are these experiences so rare?
Some researchers believe that art that challenges our perspective or invites us to see the world differently could be one answer. For example, if I have one view of what is beautiful, but am confronted with a painting that drastically alters my idea of beauty, I might be moved to tears or at least be forced to fight them back.
Tension builds in us as we see something that we cannot categorize or liken to anything we’ve seen before. When we finally allow ourselves to take in this new perspective, we feel a release. And, perhaps, some tears.
Another theory is that these experiences are more apt to happen when we are alone. Since we often attend concerts and art openings with friends and family as a social event, we might not get the full impact of the art. Our mind might be divided between social interaction and experiencing the music or art.
I remember visiting one particular room in the Louvre with a friend. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was waiting for her after about an hour. When I finally decided to go in search of her, I found her at the second painting. She had spent nearly an hour viewing one painting.
At that point, I knew she needed to stay at the Louvre and I was ready for a nice glass of wine on the Champs Elysees. She was having a transformative experience. I was not.
So what does this fascinating research into neuroaesthetics tell me?
Experiencing art alone is important. Immersing ourselves totally in what we are hearing or seeing or reading, is key to truly feeling an art.
For me, I’ll try to take my artist self on a field trip alone whenever possible.
I'll go to a gallery or concert when I have time and can view it with a sense of wonder and openness.
If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll be moved to tears.
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