Considerations in relation to some research on the possible neural underpinnings linked to visual artworks observation

Abstract

On the basis of the observations conducted by Freedberg & Gallese (2007) on neural processes implication in organizing the empathetic/aesthetic response, some recent research carried out by neuroscientists and art historians are analyzed, as they demonstrated cortical sensorimotor activation during the observation of abstract artworks (2012, 2013). The role of the “embodied simulation” of artist’s gesture in the empathic perception of artworks is hereby confirmed. These results are commented in light of psychological studies about aesthetic experience, with special regard to those based on a phenomenological methodology. The intention is to further explore possible interactions between neurosciences and phenomenological psychology, in accordance with their respective theoretical and methodological differences.