How Humans Consciously See Paintings and Paintings Illuminate How Humans See

Abstract

This article illustrates how the paintings of visual artists activate multiple brain processes that contribute to their conscious perception. Paintings of different artists may activate different combinations of brain processes to achieve their artist’s aesthetic goals. Neural models of how advanced brains see have characterized various of these processes. These models are used to explain how paintings of Jo Baer, Banksy, Ross Bleckner, Gene Davis, Charles Hawthorne, Henry Hensche, Henri Matisse, Claude Monet, Jules Olitski, and Frank Stella may achieve their aesthetic effects. These ten painters were chosen to illustrate processes that range from discounting the illuminant and lightness anchoring, to boundary and texture grouping and classification, through filling-in of surface brightness and color, to spatial attention, conscious seeing, and eye movement control. The models hereby clarify how humans consciously see paintings, and paintings illuminate how humans see.