Jadyn Castro
Prof. Sanchez Burr
FIYS 181 01
20 December 2018
The Brain and Ambiguity
Ambiguity in art has a certain appeal. There are a multitude of psychological research studies that find that viewers gravitate towards art that is ambiguous finding these pieces to be more interesting than art that is didactic. In Nato Thompson’s Seeing Power Art and Activism in the 21st Century, he discusses how the uncertainty behind ambiguous art has the potential to attract audiences while also evoking emotions of uncertainty surrounding its interpretation. As of recent years, there are researchers who are seeking to explain this phenomenon through linking ambiguity in art to science through attempting to understand artistic perception and the human aesthetic sense. Although art and science are often viewed as distinct entities, it becomes apparent that these two subjects are closely linked in the way that they portray the conditions and machinations of the mind. Igor Yevin, a professor at the Mechanical Engineering Research Institute in Moscow, Russia uses a mathematical model of ambiguous patterns in everyday life that are seen within artwork and beyond in an attempt to assist understanding the way the human brain functions.
Ambiguity is an element that can be found in different places. It can exist in artwork, jokes, illusions, and literature. Throughout time, the human brain has developed a strong ability to process ambiguous patterns with the help of sensory input. It is thought that the ability to recognize ambiguous patterns within daily surroundings is a result of evolution. It is a tool that allows human beings to adapt to changing environments through exercising what is now known as common thought.
Examples of famous art with ambiguity can be found in one of the most renowned pieces of art in the world. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is painted with a grin that can be interpreted as melancholic grin, a blissful smile, or both. The way that a person views the mouth expression of the Mona Lisa depends on the viewers personal feelings at the time that they are looking at the painting. The individual’s interpretation can change depending on their mood, knowledge, or preconceived ideas that they had about the art before analyzing it. Leonardo da Vinci was careful with his work. ” [He] was entirely deliberate in painting the model so that cues to her true mood in the mouth and eyes are hidden by the sfumato technique he employed (Ambiguity in Art David Bradley).” Stufamo is a painting technique that softens the transition between colors which mimics the area beyond what the eye is focused on. This technique da Vinci to hide the cues of Mona Lisa’s true mood. The varying interpretations surround the smile of Mona Lisa is a debate that continues present day.
Ambiguity, as a sense of perception has become a popular concept in psychology. It provides text-book material that has led to numerous new research studies. The connection between visual ambiguity and the availability of information in the brain is not yet scientifically clear. However, modern research has concluded that consciousness is the mental tool used to solve ambiguities. When the mental ability to make sense out of the ambiguous fails it brings a sense of cognitive dissonance. “Recent research hints at the essential function of consciousness as to resolve ambiguities. When it fails in its task, we are left with a feeling of discordance that can manifest itself as pleasure or pain, whether the ambiguity is in visual art, a dramatic line, or a joke (Ambiguity in Art David Bradley).” Although the feelings of discordance that can manifest itself in many different ways, the intended purpose art artwork is to make the audience feel something.
When an individual is analyzing an ambiguous image, the brain has the tendency to switch between a number of different interpretations. It becomes increasingly more difficult for the brain to decide on one specific interpretation, but it is also impossible for the human brain to comprehend multiple interpretations simultaneously. This concept is known as biostability. The physical science concept of biostability offers an explanation as to why the human brain cannot definitely decide on a single interpretation of an ambiguous art piece. In psychological terms, biostability is defined as “the phenomenon of spontaneously switching between two or more interpretations of an image under continuous viewing. Although switching behavior is increasingly well characterized, the origins remain elusive (www.semanticscholars.org).” Once again, the interpretation will depend on the mood of the viewer at that specific point in time. In fact, an individual's interpretation can change completely if they view the artwork on multiple occasions. “The ambiguous image similarly sits on such a catastrophic cusp, collapsing into one interpretation or the other depending on our mood and preconceptions (Ambiguity in Art David Bradley) …” Igor Yevin believes that it will eventually be possible to quantify the human brain’s non-linear response to stimuli.
The formula that Igor Yevin describes is also borrowed from a concept within physical science. However, in psychology this concept is reflective of the way that the brain switches between two different ideas or “states” when trying to comprehend the ambiguous. Yevin’s formula was created to compute the physical differences in interpreting the ambiguous. Professor Yevin’s formula is used within a computer recognition system to recognize different interpretations and offer ways in which a person’s brain could potentially respond.
There are also more complexed examples of ambiguity within art. Giuseppe Arcimboldo, an Italian painter is primarily known for his ability to create human portraits using inanimate objects has pieces of work that are representative of a more sophisticated form of ambiguity. In his piece, “The Librarian” is simply a person with an old-fashioned wig and decorative robe. This would be the interpretation of a person who sees this artwork in passing or at a quick glance. However, the individual in the portrait is constructed of stacked novels. Arcimboldo creates this piece with the intention of confusing the audience. In order to see the painting as what it truly is requires a specific level of attention from the viewer. The image changes depending on the amount of attention a person is willing to spend observing the art. Ambiguous pieces of art appeal to human emotions in a unique way.
Ambiguity surrounds us. It exists in other forms of art such as books and movies as well. In movies, it is not uncommon to find ambiguity in stories that rely on the use of suspense. During a movie that employs on the buildup of suspense, the viewer is awaiting a specific outcome. The brain is captivated by the scenarios unfolding, which is the brain’s way of coping with the uncertain events. This concept can also be found within stories. “Ambiguity plays a critical role and is sustained until the story's climax (Ambiguity in Art David Bradley).” The concept of ambiguity within stories is particularly prominent in folktales for children because the suspense is used to sustain the reader or listeners attention until the end of the story. It is used to create certain effects on the brain when the use of ambiguity is employed within films or stories.
Poetry, another form of written art also relies on the powers of ambiguity. Often times, the true meaning of a poem is not given directly to the reader. The meaning of the poem is discovered through analysis. Meanings are disguised within literary devices and rhyme schemes. A class of students could read the same exact poem and have opposite ideas of the message that the poem is attempting to convey. This can also happen when listening to music or looking at sculptures. All of these concepts are examples of ambiguity. Essentially, ambiguity exists within all forms of entertainment.
Igor Yevin has suggested a number of different responses that the brain has when it is confronted with ambiguity. One response of the human brain to ambiguity is laughter. Yevin has a theory that laughter signifies a switch in the brain between states. Through research it has become apparent that chimpanzees, a species that is linked closely to humans also reacts in a particular way when confronted with ambiguity. “Yevin does not say whether or not chimpanzees who use similar repeating staccato sounds in their communication are also experiencing a feeling of ambiguity, although a chimpanzee's "laughter" is usually associated with physical contact such as tickling. However, tickling is in itself a highly ambiguous experience – both pleasurable and painful concomitantly (Ambiguity in Art David Bradley).” Although chimpanzees cannot laugh, researchers have discovered that they have certain mannerisms that they express when they are believed to be experiencing feelings associated with interpreting ambiguity. Studying the way chimpanzees react to ambiguity is quite similar to studying a human as there is only a “…2.7 percent of the genetic difference between humans and chimps are duplications, in which segments of genetic code are copied many times in the genome (Chimps, Humans 96 Percent the Same, Gene Study Finds Stefan Lovgren).” This makes chimpanzees the most closely related species to humans.
Ambiguous patterns in art are now viewed as the foundation for the models of basic artistic conception. The non-linear theory of perception of ambiguous patterns is being used to describe the multistable behavior of the human brain. Without ambiguity art would be impossible ‘…art is supposed to have multiple meanings. It is self-defeating to increase one aspect of meaning. The more a single meaning dominates a work, the less it is a work of art. Something that has only one meaning- no matter how interesting or important that meaning is- is no longer a work of art’ [18, p.46] (Ambiguity in Art Igor Yevin). Individuals find beauty in art that they can relate to or make personal to them in some way, and ambiguity makes that possible. The various ways to interpret pieces of art, literature, and more have allowed for science and art to be intertwined. The power of ambiguous art that Nato Thompson discusses in his novel Seeing Power Art and Activism in the 21st Century has been explained scientifically by researchers such as Igor Yevin. Yevin’s scientific approach to Nato Thompson’s ideas of ambiguous art play an important role in connecting two distinct subjects such as art and human biology.
Work Cited
Bradley, David “AMBIGUITY IN ART.” Interval Symbolism, 2005, www.mi.sanu.ac.rs/vismath/igor/.
Thompson, Nato. Seeing Power: Art and Activism in the 21st Century. Melville House, 2015.
Yevin, Igor. “Complexity Theory of Art.” Interval Symbolism, 2006, www.mi.sanu.ac.rs/vismath/proceedings/yevin.htm.
Yevin, Igor. “Criticality of the Brain and Criticality of Art.” Igor Yevin | MIPT – Academia.edu, 2001, mipt.academia.edu/IgorYevin.
“Chimps, Humans 96 Percent the Same, Gene Study Finds.” National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 15 Aug. 2018, news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/08/chimps-humans-96-percent-the-same-gene-study-finds/.
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