I am currently reading The Art Instinct by Denis Dutton. When I saw this book on the shelf, I knew I had to read it, as it applies to many of my current ideologies. However, I was also skeptical. I thought it likely that the book would be a collection of badly described theories. I anticipated a preachy text describing the innate human appreciation of beauty. I have to say, now being about half way through, that so far I have been pleasantly surprised. Dutton’s arguments are sound in most cases. He uses examples of science and history, as well as extensive thought experiments, to describe the jump humans make is aesthetic pleasure. It is not preachy, or sided in any art form. It is actually a very comprehensive discussion. Dutton had caused me to consider aspects of human life in relation to our appreciation of aesthetic that I would have never before considered. I also must say quite honestly that in parts the reading is dense. However, this book is worth a second read.
contemporary landscapes