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Psychology and the Arts by David O'HareReview by: G. W. GrangerLeonardo, Vol. 17, No. 2 (1984), p. 136Published by: The MIT PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1575021 .

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Book Reviews Book Reviews Book Reviews

for this book's illustrations reveal that ten of the miniatures shown are from one American collector, Edward Binney III, and one from another, J. K. Galbraith. The only two illustrations from the very rich collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London are in black and white.

Dr Randhawa has been careful not to come between the reader and his chosen subject. An eminent horticulturist, Randhawa could have named all the flowers in the Mughal gardens which appear in so many of the plates. Instead, he has laid out his topic in a concise and systematic way, bringing to this task his experience as the author, in collaboration with J. K. Galbraith, of Indian Painting.

Miniature painting began during the eighth century in the Pala dynasty as a kind of illumination to accompany sacred Buddhist texts. The earliest miniatures were painted not on paper, but on palm leaves.

The rise of Muslim supremacy in northern India stopped temple building but encouraged miniature painting. By the fourteenth century, Jain miniatures had become important, and artists did their best work not merely for Hindu religious texts but to illustrate contemporary epic novels.

Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, who reigned for 51 years, succeeded in annexing what had hitherto been a Hindu religious art and harnessing it to the purposes of imperial aggrandizement. His atelier of more than 100 Hindu artists was directed by two Persian master painters who have left their stamp on Mughal miniatures down to our day. Akbar was illiterate, but his collection of miniatures served as a chronicle of both his mighty deeds and his wide interests. The Mughals were enlightened and tolerant Muslims, and Akbar even commissioned an illustrated copy of a Hindu epic at 400,000 rupees. It was characteristic of the great emperor that he knew how to find talent in unlikely places. His chief artist for this particular commission was Daswanth, son of a palanquin bearer, whom Akbar 'discovered' while Daswanth was still a young boy.

The example of Akbar encouraged the rise of provincial centers of miniature painting in Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Oudh and Hyderabad.

Within the palace itself, the court painters continued to mirror faithfully the magnificent and pleasure-loving successors of Akbar. By this time the first European collectors had come to appreciate Mughal miniatures. Paradoxically, miniatures flourished more among the iconoclastic Muslims than amongst the image-worshipping Hindus. But Mughal painters had redoubtable rivals amongst the Rajput painters, who were inspired by the loves of Krishna and Radhah and by their concurrents in the Punjab schools such as Kangra and Pahari.

Though this is essentially an aesthetic and historical account of the Indian miniature, and discussion of technique is merely incidental, Indian Miniature Painting is a book for the artist as well as the art teacher. No painter can fail to be inspired by the exemplary miniature painting reproduced here.

Reviewed by Carson I. A. Ritchie, 18 Carston Close, Lee Green, London SE12 8DZ, U.K.

Psychology and the Arts. David O'Hare, ed. The Humanities Press, New Jersey, 1981. 335 pp. Cloth, $40.00. ISBN: 0-8557-958-3.

for this book's illustrations reveal that ten of the miniatures shown are from one American collector, Edward Binney III, and one from another, J. K. Galbraith. The only two illustrations from the very rich collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London are in black and white.

Dr Randhawa has been careful not to come between the reader and his chosen subject. An eminent horticulturist, Randhawa could have named all the flowers in the Mughal gardens which appear in so many of the plates. Instead, he has laid out his topic in a concise and systematic way, bringing to this task his experience as the author, in collaboration with J. K. Galbraith, of Indian Painting.

Miniature painting began during the eighth century in the Pala dynasty as a kind of illumination to accompany sacred Buddhist texts. The earliest miniatures were painted not on paper, but on palm leaves.

The rise of Muslim supremacy in northern India stopped temple building but encouraged miniature painting. By the fourteenth century, Jain miniatures had become important, and artists did their best work not merely for Hindu religious texts but to illustrate contemporary epic novels.

Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, who reigned for 51 years, succeeded in annexing what had hitherto been a Hindu religious art and harnessing it to the purposes of imperial aggrandizement. His atelier of more than 100 Hindu artists was directed by two Persian master painters who have left their stamp on Mughal miniatures down to our day. Akbar was illiterate, but his collection of miniatures served as a chronicle of both his mighty deeds and his wide interests. The Mughals were enlightened and tolerant Muslims, and Akbar even commissioned an illustrated copy of a Hindu epic at 400,000 rupees. It was characteristic of the great emperor that he knew how to find talent in unlikely places. His chief artist for this particular commission was Daswanth, son of a palanquin bearer, whom Akbar 'discovered' while Daswanth was still a young boy.

The example of Akbar encouraged the rise of provincial centers of miniature painting in Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Oudh and Hyderabad.

Within the palace itself, the court painters continued to mirror faithfully the magnificent and pleasure-loving successors of Akbar. By this time the first European collectors had come to appreciate Mughal miniatures. Paradoxically, miniatures flourished more among the iconoclastic Muslims than amongst the image-worshipping Hindus. But Mughal painters had redoubtable rivals amongst the Rajput painters, who were inspired by the loves of Krishna and Radhah and by their concurrents in the Punjab schools such as Kangra and Pahari.

Though this is essentially an aesthetic and historical account of the Indian miniature, and discussion of technique is merely incidental, Indian Miniature Painting is a book for the artist as well as the art teacher. No painter can fail to be inspired by the exemplary miniature painting reproduced here.

Reviewed by Carson I. A. Ritchie, 18 Carston Close, Lee Green, London SE12 8DZ, U.K.

Psychology and the Arts. David O'Hare, ed. The Humanities Press, New Jersey, 1981. 335 pp. Cloth, $40.00. ISBN: 0-8557-958-3.

for this book's illustrations reveal that ten of the miniatures shown are from one American collector, Edward Binney III, and one from another, J. K. Galbraith. The only two illustrations from the very rich collection in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London are in black and white.

Dr Randhawa has been careful not to come between the reader and his chosen subject. An eminent horticulturist, Randhawa could have named all the flowers in the Mughal gardens which appear in so many of the plates. Instead, he has laid out his topic in a concise and systematic way, bringing to this task his experience as the author, in collaboration with J. K. Galbraith, of Indian Painting.

Miniature painting began during the eighth century in the Pala dynasty as a kind of illumination to accompany sacred Buddhist texts. The earliest miniatures were painted not on paper, but on palm leaves.

The rise of Muslim supremacy in northern India stopped temple building but encouraged miniature painting. By the fourteenth century, Jain miniatures had become important, and artists did their best work not merely for Hindu religious texts but to illustrate contemporary epic novels.

Emperor Akbar, the third Mughal Emperor, who reigned for 51 years, succeeded in annexing what had hitherto been a Hindu religious art and harnessing it to the purposes of imperial aggrandizement. His atelier of more than 100 Hindu artists was directed by two Persian master painters who have left their stamp on Mughal miniatures down to our day. Akbar was illiterate, but his collection of miniatures served as a chronicle of both his mighty deeds and his wide interests. The Mughals were enlightened and tolerant Muslims, and Akbar even commissioned an illustrated copy of a Hindu epic at 400,000 rupees. It was characteristic of the great emperor that he knew how to find talent in unlikely places. His chief artist for this particular commission was Daswanth, son of a palanquin bearer, whom Akbar 'discovered' while Daswanth was still a young boy.

The example of Akbar encouraged the rise of provincial centers of miniature painting in Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bijapur, Oudh and Hyderabad.

Within the palace itself, the court painters continued to mirror faithfully the magnificent and pleasure-loving successors of Akbar. By this time the first European collectors had come to appreciate Mughal miniatures. Paradoxically, miniatures flourished more among the iconoclastic Muslims than amongst the image-worshipping Hindus. But Mughal painters had redoubtable rivals amongst the Rajput painters, who were inspired by the loves of Krishna and Radhah and by their concurrents in the Punjab schools such as Kangra and Pahari.

Though this is essentially an aesthetic and historical account of the Indian miniature, and discussion of technique is merely incidental, Indian Miniature Painting is a book for the artist as well as the art teacher. No painter can fail to be inspired by the exemplary miniature painting reproduced here.

Reviewed by Carson I. A. Ritchie, 18 Carston Close, Lee Green, London SE12 8DZ, U.K.

Psychology and the Arts. David O'Hare, ed. The Humanities Press, New Jersey, 1981. 335 pp. Cloth, $40.00. ISBN: 0-8557-958-3.

In his introductory chapter O'Hare says he opted for diversity because too much order, arising from the imposition of classification schemes, would probably have led to a loss of 'mutual relevance'. Given the variety of topics and viewpoints in the eleven chapters that make up this book, I doubt that he had any choice in the matter.

O'Hare adopts George Dickie's 'institutional' definition of the 'art world' in terms of the behaviour (O'Hare's italics) of artists and art appreciators as a "workable starting point for drawing the boundaries of an empirical psychology of the arts." Chapter 2 by Martin Lindauer deals with the phenomenology of aesthetic experience (my italics). Chapter 3 by Hans Eysenck is devoted to the study of aesthetic preferences and individual differences from the standpoint of experi- mental aesthetics. Having penetrated thus far into the contents, it came as no surprise to discover that the chapter by Eysenck (arch-critic of psychoanalysis) was followed with one by Pavel Machotka, who expounds a psychodynamic theory of aesthetic choice. The remaining chapters include 'Children's Perceptions of Works of Art, a Develop- mental Portrait', by Howard Gardner; 'Understanding Metaphors' by Andrew Ortony; 'Music, Meaning and Use' by W. Jay Dowling; 'Structure and Processes in Style Discrimination' by David O'Hare; 'Left and Right in Art' (the claim that representational pictures are organized and perceived in a left-right sequence) by Ian Gordon; 'Aesthetic Preferences, Prestige and Social Class' by W. Ray Crozier and Anthony Chapman; and 'Art and Psychopathology' by R. W. Pickford. Diversity is clearly the keynote of this book.

The chapters vary considerably in quality. Whereas the connection between argument and evidence is relatively tight in the well- documented contributions by Eysenck, O'Hare, Gordon, and Crozier and Chapman, it is looser in the chapters by Lindauer and Gardner. Ortony's chapter is mainly "speculative and theoretical in nature", with little empirical content. "At the risk of excessive frivolity", Dowling adopts a "culinary approach" to musical meaning. His chapter is frivolous, though not excessively so. The psychodynamic content of Machotka's chapter is manifest, while that of Pickford's is latent, except for his piece on artistic creativity. Of the two, Machotka's is the more coherent but it is equally thin on evidence.

Obvious weaknesses of this collection are its lack of overall order, absence of a clearly defined aim, and failure to indicate the intended readership. What I find refreshing about Psychology and the Arts, compared with other volumes on this subject, is its unpretentiousness and greater respect for evidence. Much of the work is "tentative and exploratory", and no firm conclusions can as yet be reached. Despite this sorry, but not surprising, state of affairs, it is encouraging to find that the empirical psychology of the arts has become much broader in scope than the 'old' and 'new' experimental aesthetics.

The only chapter that seems relevant to artists and art teachers is the excellent critical appraisal by Gordon of research on 'Left and Right in Art'. Unfortunately, it has not yet been shown convincingly that there is a left-right problem that requires solution. I think this diverse collection of papers will prove interesting and useful mainly to psychologists who study the arts.

Reviewed by G. W. Granger, University of Durham, Durham DH1 31 E, U.K.

In his introductory chapter O'Hare says he opted for diversity because too much order, arising from the imposition of classification schemes, would probably have led to a loss of 'mutual relevance'. Given the variety of topics and viewpoints in the eleven chapters that make up this book, I doubt that he had any choice in the matter.

O'Hare adopts George Dickie's 'institutional' definition of the 'art world' in terms of the behaviour (O'Hare's italics) of artists and art appreciators as a "workable starting point for drawing the boundaries of an empirical psychology of the arts." Chapter 2 by Martin Lindauer deals with the phenomenology of aesthetic experience (my italics). Chapter 3 by Hans Eysenck is devoted to the study of aesthetic preferences and individual differences from the standpoint of experi- mental aesthetics. Having penetrated thus far into the contents, it came as no surprise to discover that the chapter by Eysenck (arch-critic of psychoanalysis) was followed with one by Pavel Machotka, who expounds a psychodynamic theory of aesthetic choice. The remaining chapters include 'Children's Perceptions of Works of Art, a Develop- mental Portrait', by Howard Gardner; 'Understanding Metaphors' by Andrew Ortony; 'Music, Meaning and Use' by W. Jay Dowling; 'Structure and Processes in Style Discrimination' by David O'Hare; 'Left and Right in Art' (the claim that representational pictures are organized and perceived in a left-right sequence) by Ian Gordon; 'Aesthetic Preferences, Prestige and Social Class' by W. Ray Crozier and Anthony Chapman; and 'Art and Psychopathology' by R. W. Pickford. Diversity is clearly the keynote of this book.

The chapters vary considerably in quality. Whereas the connection between argument and evidence is relatively tight in the well- documented contributions by Eysenck, O'Hare, Gordon, and Crozier and Chapman, it is looser in the chapters by Lindauer and Gardner. Ortony's chapter is mainly "speculative and theoretical in nature", with little empirical content. "At the risk of excessive frivolity", Dowling adopts a "culinary approach" to musical meaning. His chapter is frivolous, though not excessively so. The psychodynamic content of Machotka's chapter is manifest, while that of Pickford's is latent, except for his piece on artistic creativity. Of the two, Machotka's is the more coherent but it is equally thin on evidence.

Obvious weaknesses of this collection are its lack of overall order, absence of a clearly defined aim, and failure to indicate the intended readership. What I find refreshing about Psychology and the Arts, compared with other volumes on this subject, is its unpretentiousness and greater respect for evidence. Much of the work is "tentative and exploratory", and no firm conclusions can as yet be reached. Despite this sorry, but not surprising, state of affairs, it is encouraging to find that the empirical psychology of the arts has become much broader in scope than the 'old' and 'new' experimental aesthetics.

The only chapter that seems relevant to artists and art teachers is the excellent critical appraisal by Gordon of research on 'Left and Right in Art'. Unfortunately, it has not yet been shown convincingly that there is a left-right problem that requires solution. I think this diverse collection of papers will prove interesting and useful mainly to psychologists who study the arts.

Reviewed by G. W. Granger, University of Durham, Durham DH1 31 E, U.K.

In his introductory chapter O'Hare says he opted for diversity because too much order, arising from the imposition of classification schemes, would probably have led to a loss of 'mutual relevance'. Given the variety of topics and viewpoints in the eleven chapters that make up this book, I doubt that he had any choice in the matter.

O'Hare adopts George Dickie's 'institutional' definition of the 'art world' in terms of the behaviour (O'Hare's italics) of artists and art appreciators as a "workable starting point for drawing the boundaries of an empirical psychology of the arts." Chapter 2 by Martin Lindauer deals with the phenomenology of aesthetic experience (my italics). Chapter 3 by Hans Eysenck is devoted to the study of aesthetic preferences and individual differences from the standpoint of experi- mental aesthetics. Having penetrated thus far into the contents, it came as no surprise to discover that the chapter by Eysenck (arch-critic of psychoanalysis) was followed with one by Pavel Machotka, who expounds a psychodynamic theory of aesthetic choice. The remaining chapters include 'Children's Perceptions of Works of Art, a Develop- mental Portrait', by Howard Gardner; 'Understanding Metaphors' by Andrew Ortony; 'Music, Meaning and Use' by W. Jay Dowling; 'Structure and Processes in Style Discrimination' by David O'Hare; 'Left and Right in Art' (the claim that representational pictures are organized and perceived in a left-right sequence) by Ian Gordon; 'Aesthetic Preferences, Prestige and Social Class' by W. Ray Crozier and Anthony Chapman; and 'Art and Psychopathology' by R. W. Pickford. Diversity is clearly the keynote of this book.

The chapters vary considerably in quality. Whereas the connection between argument and evidence is relatively tight in the well- documented contributions by Eysenck, O'Hare, Gordon, and Crozier and Chapman, it is looser in the chapters by Lindauer and Gardner. Ortony's chapter is mainly "speculative and theoretical in nature", with little empirical content. "At the risk of excessive frivolity", Dowling adopts a "culinary approach" to musical meaning. His chapter is frivolous, though not excessively so. The psychodynamic content of Machotka's chapter is manifest, while that of Pickford's is latent, except for his piece on artistic creativity. Of the two, Machotka's is the more coherent but it is equally thin on evidence.

Obvious weaknesses of this collection are its lack of overall order, absence of a clearly defined aim, and failure to indicate the intended readership. What I find refreshing about Psychology and the Arts, compared with other volumes on this subject, is its unpretentiousness and greater respect for evidence. Much of the work is "tentative and exploratory", and no firm conclusions can as yet be reached. Despite this sorry, but not surprising, state of affairs, it is encouraging to find that the empirical psychology of the arts has become much broader in scope than the 'old' and 'new' experimental aesthetics.

The only chapter that seems relevant to artists and art teachers is the excellent critical appraisal by Gordon of research on 'Left and Right in Art'. Unfortunately, it has not yet been shown convincingly that there is a left-right problem that requires solution. I think this diverse collection of papers will prove interesting and useful mainly to psychologists who study the arts.

Reviewed by G. W. Granger, University of Durham, Durham DH1 31 E, U.K.

BOOKS RECEIVED

The Amazing Decade: Women and Performance Art in America, 1970-1980. Moira Roth. Astro Artz, 1983. 180 pp., illus. Paper, $12.50. ISBN: 0-937122-09-2.

American Architecture: Vol. 1: 1607-1860; Vol. 2: 1860-1976. Marcus Whiffen and Frederick Koeper. MIT Press, 1983. 433 pp., illus. Paper, $10.95/Vol. ISBN: 0-262-73069-3.

Art in Everyday Life. Linda Montano. Astro Artz, 1983. 60 pp., illus. Paper. ISBN: 0-937122-05. Art in the Age of Mass Media. John Walker. Pluto Press, 1983. 124 pp., illus. Paper, ?4.95. ISBN: 0-86104-718-4. The Artist and the Real World. Fredric Whitaker. North Light, 1980.136 pp., illus. Paper, $14.95. ISBN: 0-89134-030. Aspects of Aesthetics. Goran Hermeren. Liber Forlag, Sweden, 1983. 280 pp., illus. ISBN: 91-40-04845-4. Astronomy from Space, Sputnik to Space Telescope. James Cornell and Paul Gorenstein, eds. MIT Press, 1983. 244

pp., illus. Cloth, $17.50. ISBN: 0-262-03097-7. Balthus. Stanislas Klossowski de Rola. Harper & Row, 1983. 100 pp., illus. Cloth. ISBN: 0-06-431275-5. British Sign Language. Margaret Deuchar. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984. 232 pp., illus. Cloth, $29.95. ISBN:

0-7100-9643-7. Computer Graphics Problem Manual. Daniel Ryan. Brooks/Cole Engineering Division, 1983. 249 pp., illus. Paper.

ISBN: 0-534-01293-0. Computer Images: State of the Art. Joseph Deken. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1983. 200 pp., illus. Paper, $16.95.

ISBN: 0-941434-40-0. Conceptual Issues in EvolutionaryBiology. Elliott Sober, ed. MIT Press, 1984.725 pp., Paper. ISBN: 0-262-699084-5.

BOOKS RECEIVED

The Amazing Decade: Women and Performance Art in America, 1970-1980. Moira Roth. Astro Artz, 1983. 180 pp., illus. Paper, $12.50. ISBN: 0-937122-09-2.

American Architecture: Vol. 1: 1607-1860; Vol. 2: 1860-1976. Marcus Whiffen and Frederick Koeper. MIT Press, 1983. 433 pp., illus. Paper, $10.95/Vol. ISBN: 0-262-73069-3.

Art in Everyday Life. Linda Montano. Astro Artz, 1983. 60 pp., illus. Paper. ISBN: 0-937122-05. Art in the Age of Mass Media. John Walker. Pluto Press, 1983. 124 pp., illus. Paper, ?4.95. ISBN: 0-86104-718-4. The Artist and the Real World. Fredric Whitaker. North Light, 1980.136 pp., illus. Paper, $14.95. ISBN: 0-89134-030. Aspects of Aesthetics. Goran Hermeren. Liber Forlag, Sweden, 1983. 280 pp., illus. ISBN: 91-40-04845-4. Astronomy from Space, Sputnik to Space Telescope. James Cornell and Paul Gorenstein, eds. MIT Press, 1983. 244

pp., illus. Cloth, $17.50. ISBN: 0-262-03097-7. Balthus. Stanislas Klossowski de Rola. Harper & Row, 1983. 100 pp., illus. Cloth. ISBN: 0-06-431275-5. British Sign Language. Margaret Deuchar. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984. 232 pp., illus. Cloth, $29.95. ISBN:

0-7100-9643-7. Computer Graphics Problem Manual. Daniel Ryan. Brooks/Cole Engineering Division, 1983. 249 pp., illus. Paper.

ISBN: 0-534-01293-0. Computer Images: State of the Art. Joseph Deken. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1983. 200 pp., illus. Paper, $16.95.

ISBN: 0-941434-40-0. Conceptual Issues in EvolutionaryBiology. Elliott Sober, ed. MIT Press, 1984.725 pp., Paper. ISBN: 0-262-699084-5.

BOOKS RECEIVED

The Amazing Decade: Women and Performance Art in America, 1970-1980. Moira Roth. Astro Artz, 1983. 180 pp., illus. Paper, $12.50. ISBN: 0-937122-09-2.

American Architecture: Vol. 1: 1607-1860; Vol. 2: 1860-1976. Marcus Whiffen and Frederick Koeper. MIT Press, 1983. 433 pp., illus. Paper, $10.95/Vol. ISBN: 0-262-73069-3.

Art in Everyday Life. Linda Montano. Astro Artz, 1983. 60 pp., illus. Paper. ISBN: 0-937122-05. Art in the Age of Mass Media. John Walker. Pluto Press, 1983. 124 pp., illus. Paper, ?4.95. ISBN: 0-86104-718-4. The Artist and the Real World. Fredric Whitaker. North Light, 1980.136 pp., illus. Paper, $14.95. ISBN: 0-89134-030. Aspects of Aesthetics. Goran Hermeren. Liber Forlag, Sweden, 1983. 280 pp., illus. ISBN: 91-40-04845-4. Astronomy from Space, Sputnik to Space Telescope. James Cornell and Paul Gorenstein, eds. MIT Press, 1983. 244

pp., illus. Cloth, $17.50. ISBN: 0-262-03097-7. Balthus. Stanislas Klossowski de Rola. Harper & Row, 1983. 100 pp., illus. Cloth. ISBN: 0-06-431275-5. British Sign Language. Margaret Deuchar. Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1984. 232 pp., illus. Cloth, $29.95. ISBN:

0-7100-9643-7. Computer Graphics Problem Manual. Daniel Ryan. Brooks/Cole Engineering Division, 1983. 249 pp., illus. Paper.

ISBN: 0-534-01293-0. Computer Images: State of the Art. Joseph Deken. Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1983. 200 pp., illus. Paper, $16.95.

ISBN: 0-941434-40-0. Conceptual Issues in EvolutionaryBiology. Elliott Sober, ed. MIT Press, 1984.725 pp., Paper. ISBN: 0-262-699084-5.

136 136 136

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