This is what happens when you let math nerds around the literature

Weird.

1: there is a thing called the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences
2: they took time to run statistical analyses of great works of literature
3: they found fractals. And in the case of a number of stream-of-consciousness novels (and the Bible), they found really complex fractals-within-fractals structures.

So, um, that happened.

Maybe a computer will determine the next set of works for the AP exam

I'm not sure I'm reading this article correctly. They took a bunch of widely accepted works of art, made algorithms to reflect that the works are widely accepted, and then claim that the the algorithms may be good at spotting widely accepted works of art? Whatever; the algorithms understand that Mona Lisa os overrated, so they're fine with me.

"Red line of mortality"

According to this bank chart, you should go ahead and look forward to your 20s. Or be older than 35 and cry. Those seem to pretty much be your options.

Cross-curricular activity

University of Houston engineering professors are teaming up with the Blaffer Museum and and artist Jo Ann Fleischhaur to see if they can tell just what goes on when you make and consumer art. Brain scans and art will surely combine to form something interesting!

On clothes, mindsets, and power

Stanley Marcus (the Marcus in Neiman Marcus department stores) once said that "a casual wardrobe produces a casual attitude." Science is proving him right. It turns out that wearing formal clothes "makes people think more broadly and holistically." Wearing a suit or other business wear will likely make you think more like a powerful person and act more like a powerful person.

While I believe this broad thinking and confidence is largely a good thing ("dress better than you have to" is one of the axioms I live by), there can be negative consequences: thinking of yourself as powerful and in a higher social class might make you less ethical.

Pop culture crossover: Mad Men!

For those of us who like art And economics

SMU in Dallas has a good business school, and they have one of the best arts administration schools. The two have been getting together more often, and they've done some interesting studies into what makes an art organization (which is pretty much a business) thrive.

Good Art and Marginal Utility

One study suggests that we appreciate good art more with repeated exposure, but we appreciate bad art less with repeated exposure. It must be true--or at least scientificish--because it's in The Economist.

Art/science headline of the week

Can you tell which is which?

Honeybees Can Discriminate Between Monet and Picasso Paintings

Bees can.

Caves, bulls, and chicks

What did the artists in Lasceaux and Altamira have in mind when they were making cave paintings? We don't know. But some "researchers in neuroaesthetics" have some theories.

Remember, you don't have to take my word for it

Just a basic Google search for "AP Art History notes," "AP Art History outline," or "AP Art History tests" will--almost instantly--give you more supplemental information and resources than you can even use. Find good stuff out there, and share with your classmates.

Update: classical music is actually good for your heart

if you're a mouse.

What are you looking at?

I expect to see a lot more of this type of analysis, which uses scanners to see exactly what in a picture people are looking at. Basic formal analysis sentences, "the blah-blah-blah line leads the eye to blah-blah-blah," can now be tested. With science!

What kind of museum visitor are you?

No doubt you've already participated in a few "what is your learning style" or "what is your personality type" surveys. Here's a story about another type: types of museum visitors.

Museums are just beginning to put a lot of thought into the types of museumgoers (thanks to the DMA--yay for my hometown museum!), and it seems a good thing to know how you like to experience art. You may not have a preference yet, and you may find that your preference changes after taking an art history course and building up your knowledge base. Over the years I've moved from a timid "observer" to a fierce "independent."

Prehistory Supplement

Art History Resources: the motherlode of art history links.

Gotta support students: a senior seminar project on prehistoric art.

A primer on the Art History Archive.

A 3-D virtual tour of Lascaux Caves--in French, no less!

Remember this study...

...and cite it every time you hear "my child could have made that." Turns out your child, who is surely a smartypants and natural talent, probably couldn't have made that.

Artists really are crazy?

This article says maybe.