Neuroscience and Hindu Aesthetics: A Critical Analysis of V.S. Ramachandran���s ���Science of Art���

Neuroaesthetics is the study of the brain���s response to artistic stimuli. The neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran contends that art is primarily ���caricature��� or ���exaggeration.��� Exaggerated forms hyperactivate neurons in viewers��� brains, which in turn produce specific, ���universal��� responses. Ramachandran identifies a precursor for his theory in the concept of rasa (literally ���juice���) from classical Hindu aesthetics, which he associates with ���exaggeration.��� The canonical Sanskrit texts of Bharata Muni���s Natya Shastra and Abhinavagupta���s Abhinavabharati, however, do not support Ramachandran���s conclusions. They present audiences as dynamic co-creators, not passive recipients. I believe we could more accurately model the neurology of Hindu aesthetic experiences if we took indigenous rasa theory more seriously as qualitative data that could inform future research.

Art teachers' attitudes toward the Florida Sunshine State Standards for the Visual Arts

The State of Florida developed the Sunshine State Standards For the Arts Curriculum Framework as part of an initiative to raise student achievement in response to national calls for educational reform. The content-based art education approach used in the Sunshine State Standards reflects a viewpoint advocated by prominent art educators and professional art education organizations for more than two decades. Successful implementation of the Sunshine State Standards curriculum approach requires that art teachers be acquainted with and knowledgeable in the four foundational content areas of the arts: studio art, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics. ^ The purpose of this study was to examine art teachers' viewpoints and attitudes toward the content-based art education approach contained in the Florida Curriculum Framework Sunshine State Standards for the Visual Arts. A survey was conducted in order to obtain these viewpoints. Surveys were sent to 440 Miami-Dade County Public School art teachers. A total of 138 elementary, middle and senior high school level art teachers participated in the study. ^ Factors and variables explored in this study included teachers' level of education, type of community, and grade levels taught. The principal methods of analyses employed in the study were descriptive statistics used to display frequencies and percentages. In addition, cross tabulations with Chi-square tests, and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to examine responses to the survey items. ^ The results of the study revealed that the majority of art teachers supported the content-based art education approach used in the Sunshine State Standards for the Arts. However significant differences appeared in the responses to survey items as a result of art teachers' level of education, type of community, and grade levels. The results of this study indicate a need for further examination of teacher training and professional development programs. ^

Ficci��n Extrema: Deslizamientos en la Realidad a Trav��s de la Relaci��n Entre Arte y Literatura (Max Aub, Leonora Carrington y Enrique Vila-Matas)

Si el siglo XX cre�� una extendida conciencia sobre las variantes de la intertextualidad en la ficci��n literaria, hoy enfrentamos transformaciones en la naturaleza de la ficci��n y sus relaciones con otras formas discursivas y/o creativas como el arte, y con la misma realidad, que es posible designar con el concepto de ficci��n extrema. Desde ���Don Quijote��� o ���Las meninas��� hay incursiones en la metaficci��n y/o autorrefecividad. Pero a partir de las vanguardias modernistas y de modo creciente en los estertores de la postmodernidad nos abocamos a un singular tipo de hipertextualidad que desbordando lo literario se apropia de pr��cticas art��sticas (o lo contrario) como recurso para la transposici��n de sus ficciones, no s��lo de uno a otro campo, sino para su inserci��n en la realidad: la ficci��n extrema. Max Aub (Espa��a 1903-M��xico 1973), Leonora Carrington (Inglaterra 1917-M��xico 2011) y Enrique Vila-Matas (Espa��a 1958), radicalizaron este tr��nsito o filtraci��n de los imaginarios art��sticos y literarios subvirtiendo las delimitaciones entre ���pintor catal��n Jusep Torres Campalans, junto con sus obras pict��ricas, creadas como sombra o doble de Picasso. As�� insert�� su existencia en ciertos dominios del cubismo como un modo de meta-cr��tica art��stica. Carrington asumi�� un doble animal que transit�� entre cuentos y cuadros y se inscribi�� en la memoria del surrealismo. Vila-Matas narr�� su ���Historia abreviada de la literatura port��til��� como un doble del espectro Marcel Duchamp ���a su vez asaltado por otros��� que reescribe la memoria del dada��smo de tal modo que ha llegado a ser confundida con un ensayo. La revisi��n de las estrategias de la ficci��n extrema en estos autores junto con las de otros contemplados en el epilogo ���Mario Bellat��n, y los artistas Liliana Porter, Luis Camnitzer, Jos�� Guillermo Castillo, Ana Tisconia, Rub��n Torres Llorca y Carlos Amorales��� arroja nueva luz sobre sus obras, enriquece los estudios transatl��nticos y revela la movilidad y multiplicaci��n de la identidad y los deslizamientos de la ficci��n en la realidad como signos de tr��nsito a la altermodernidad.

Ecfrasis: Escritura y pintura en el costumbrismo argentino

This dissertation examines the discursive practice of Argentine costumbrista texts from a novel perspective. In (re)reading the works of selected prominent writers from the late colonial period to the end of the Nineteenth Century, including those of Alonso Carri�� de la Vandera, Emeric Essex Vidal, Le��n Palli��re, Lucio Vicente L��pez, Lucio V. Mansilla, and Pastor Obligado we focus on the presence of ekphrastic enunciations with a view toward linking the plastic, painterly dimensions of the prose to parallel representations by artists of the same period. Thus the costumbristas are studied in tandem with the watercolors, oil paintings and lithographic compositions of artists such as Carlos Enrique Pellegrim, C��sar Hip��lito Bacle, Raymond Monvoisin and Hip��lito Moulin. The resulting comparative study of the two arts---the verbal and the pictorial---illustrates the notion described by W. J. T. Mitchell that a literary text may well "represent a work of visual or graphic art." And thus, it provides us with visual, spatial motifs that enhance its powers of representation. ^ In developing our focus on ekphrastic representations we have followed the theoretic studies of Murray Krieger, Jean H. Hagstrum, James Hefferman, John Hollander, W. J. T. Mitchell, Johann Gottfried Herder, and Wendy Steiner among others, all of whom in various ways take their cue from Horace's Ut pictura poesis and the notion that poetry, that is literary discourse, can be likened to a panting and that in both arts there is a refractive quality that makes literature a spoken vehicle of expression and painting a silent, complementary voice. ^ In studying the literary and plastic discourses comparatively what becomes evident is that they share cultural and ideological concerns that center around the notion of self-definition, national identity, and the relation of the individual to the incipient national community (Benedict Anderson). These concerns are highlighted via the depiction of customs, mores, dress, work habits, professions, and social classes. In late colonial literature and painting and especially in the Nineteenth Century, which constitutes the defining period of Argentine political independence, the confluence of the two disciplinary discourses addresses, and underscores the issues of socio-political empowerment in the new Argentine nation. ^

Postcards of the Wiener Werkst��tte Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection

Postcards of the Wiener Werkst��tte: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection With additional works from the collection of The Wolfsonian--Florida International University, Miami Beach, Florida The exhibition is organized by the Neue Galerie New York and curated by Christian Witt-D��rring and Janis Staggs. Exhibition on view at The Wolfsonian--FIU November 15, 2012--March 31, 2013 The Wolfsonian's presentation was curated by Silvia Barisione and designed by Richard Miltner.

Alchemy and Symbolism in the Work of Carlos Estevez

The purpose of this thesis was to explore how alchemy has influenced Carlos Estevez���s work through a study of the symbolic repertoire and the philosophical concepts associated with it in his art, particularly how these are expressed in his artworks and how alchemy has evolved thematically in his oeuvre. The study of alchemy influenced this artist so deeply that even pieces that were not primarily inspired by this philosophical system show traces of it, essentially by representing the concept of transformation, crucial to understanding the alchemical process. This thesis is based on Carl Gustav Jung���s idea of metaphysical transformation as one of the main aspects of alchemy, and on his theory of active imagination as a tool to represent thoughts through artworks. Alchemy transformed Estevez���s art, and by extension the way he approaches life, making him conscious of the importance of transmutation and alchemical concepts.

The influence of study and travel abroad on the personal and professional development of students in architecture design programs

International travel has significant implications on the study of architecture. This study analyzed ways in which undergraduate and graduate students benefited from the experience of international travel and study abroad. Taken from the perspective of 15 individuals who were currently or had been architecture students at the University of Miami and Florida International University or who were alumni of the University of Florida and Syracuse University, the research explored how international travel and study abroad enhanced their awareness and understanding of architecture, and how it complemented their architecture curricula. This study also addressed a more personal aspect of international travel in order to learn how the experience and exposure to foreign cultures had positively influenced the personal and professional development of the participants.^ Participants��� individual and two-person semi-structured interviews about study abroad experiences were electronically recorded and transcribed for analysis. A second interview was conducted with five of the participants to obtain feedback concerning the accuracy of the transcripts and the interpretation of the data. Sketch journals and design projects were also analyzed from five participants and used as data for the purposes of better understanding what these individuals learned and experienced as part of their study abroad.^ Findings indicated that study abroad experiences helped to broaden student understanding about architecture and urban development. These experiences also opened the possibilities of creative and professional expression. For many, this was the most important aspect of their education as architects because it heightened their interest in architecture. These individuals talked about how they had the opportunity to experience contemporary and ancient buildings that they had learned about in their history and design classes on their home campuses. In terms of personal and professional development, many of the participants remarked that they became more independent and self-reliant because of their study abroad experiences. They also displayed a sense of global awareness and were interested in the cultures of their host nations. The study abroad experiences also had a lasting influence on their professional development.^

Tracing Antilles: History, Culture, and Art in the Work of Humberto Castro

This flyer promotes the event "Tracing Antilles: History, Culture, and Art in the Work of Humberto Castro" cosponsored by the Cuban Research Institute and the Frost Art Museum.