The Pulse of Modernism: Physiological Aesthetics in Fin-de-Siècle Europe (In Vivo)

Robert Brain traces the origins of artistic modernism to specific technologies of perception developed in late-nineteenth-century laboratories. Brain argues that the thriving fin-de-siècle field of “physiological aesthetics,” which sought physiological explanations for the capacity to appreciate beauty and art, changed the way poets, artists, and musicians worked and brought a dramatic transformation to the idea of art itself. Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright 5 Contents 8 Acknowledgments 10 Introduction 14 Part 1. Experimentalizing Life 37 1 / Representation on the Line: Graphic Method as Experimental System 38 2 / The Vibratory Organism: Protoplasm and General Physiology 70 3 / Visible Speech: Experimental Phonetics and the Physiology of Vocalization 97 Part 2. Experimentalizing Art 127 4 / Algorithms of Pleasure: Art as Expert System 128 5 / Liberating Verse: Rhythm and Measure in Poetry 183 6 / Sensory Fusion: Evolution and Synesthesia in Art and Aesthetics 207 7 / Art for Life’s Sake: Kinesthesia, Empathy, and Abstraction in Early Modernism 234 Conclusion 259 Notes 264 Bibliography 322 Index 367 Representation On The Line: Graphic Method As Experimental System -- The Vibratory Organism: Protoplasm And General Physiology -- Visible Speech: Experimental Phonetics And The Physiology Of Vocalization -- Algorithms Of Pleasure: Art As Expert System -- Liberating Verse: Rhythm And Measure In Poetry -- Sensory Fusion: Evolution And Synesthesia In Art And Aesthetics -- Art For Life's Sake: Kinesthesia, Empathy, And Abstraction In Early Modernism. Robert Michael Brain. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Robert Brain traces the origins of artistic modernism to specific technologies of perception developed in late-nineteenth-century laboratories. Brain argues that the thriving fin-de-siècle field of "physiological aesthetics," which sought physiological explanations for the capacity to appreciate beauty and art, changed the way poets, artists, and musicians worked and brought a dramatic transformation to the idea of art itself.--Provided by publisher.#x1E; 0 Robert Brain traces the origins of artistic modernism to specific technologies of perception developed in late-nineteenth-century laboratories. Brain argues that the thriving fin-de-siecle field of "physiological aesthetics," which sought physiological explanations for the capacity to appreciate beauty and art, changed the way poets, artists, and musicians worked and brought a dramatic transformation to the idea of art itself