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Antonio Damasio

is Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Philosophy and Director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California.

The Case for Impure Vision

It is well known that in the wake of the Romantic era, Cézanne and a host of other artists dreamed of restoring a sense of innocence and purity to our senses—the naiveté of the artist and the innocence of the viewer. Is there such a thing as pure vision? When we are confronted with a painting, is it possible for us to see the object in pure visual terms without being influenced by a host of factors such as one’s prior history of seeing art or one’s acquaintance with art history?

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The Brooklyn Rail

SEPT 2023

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