1111 All in the mind?
In the eye of the beholder
Standing in front ofJackson Pollock's Summertime:
Number 9A last June, I was struck by an unfamiliar
feeling.What I once considered an ugly collection
of random paint splatters now spoke to me as a
5 joyous celebration of movement and energy. It was
the first time a piece of abstract art had stirred my
emotions. Like many people, I used to dismiss these
works as a waste of time and energy. Since then,
I have come to appreciate the work of many more
10 modern artists, who express varying degrees of
abstraction in their work. Even so, when I tried to
explain my taste, I found myselflost for words.Why
are we attracted to paintings that seem to bear no
relation to the physical world?
15 Little did I know that researchers have already
started to address this question. By studying the
brain's responses to different paintings, they have
been examining the way the mind perceives
art.Although their work cannot yet explain the
20 nuances of our tastes, it has highlighted some of the
unique ways in which these masterpieces hijack
the brain's visual system.The studies are part of an
emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics, which
aims to bring scientific objectivity to the study
25 of art, in an attempt to find neurological bases for
the techniques that artists have perfected over the
years. It has already offered insights into many
masterpieces. The blurred imagery of Impressionist
paintings seems to cause activity in the brain's
30 amygdala, for instance, and since this plays a crucial
role in our emotions, that finding might explain
why many people find these pieces moving. C ould
the same approach tell us anything about the
abstract pieces characteristic of modern art?
35 Although abstract artworks often sell for immense
sums of money, (Pollock's N o. 5 fetched $140
million in 2006) they have attracted many sceptics,
who claim that modern artists lack the competence
of the masters before them. Instead, they believe
40 that people might claim to like them simply
because they are in vogue. In the scathing words of
the American satirist Al Capp, they are the 'product
of the untalented, sold by the unprincipled to the
utterly bewildered'.
45 When an experiment requires people to make
simple perceptual decisions such as matching up
a shape w ith its rotated image, for instance, the
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average person will often choose a definitively
wrong answer if they see others doing the same.
50 It is easy to imagine that this phenomenon would
have an even greater impact on a fuzzy concept like
art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong
answer, only subjective ones.
Angelina Hawley-Dolan of Boston College,
55 Massachusetts, responded to this debate by
designing an experiment that played with her
volunteer's expectations of the pieces they were
seeing. They viewed pairs of paintings - either the
creations of famous abstract artists or the doodles of
60 amateurs, infants, chimps and elephants - and then
judged what they preferred. A third of the paintings
were given no captions, while the rest were labelled.
The twist was that sometimes labels were mixed
up, so that the volunteers might think they were
65 viewing a chimp's messy brushstrokes when they
were actually seeing an expressionist piece by
Mark Rothko. Some sceptics might argue that it is
impossible to tell the difference, but in each set of
trials, the volunteers generally preferred the work
70 of the well-accepted human artists, even when they
believed it was by an animal or child. Somehow,
it is evident that the viewer can sense the artist's
vision in these paintings, even when they can't
explain why.
75 But why do such paintings hold our attention?
Alex Forsythe, a psychologist at the University
of Liverpool, has found that many abstract pieces
show signs of fractal patterns - repeating motifs that
re-occur at different scales. Fractals are common
80 throughout nature - you can see them in the
jagged peaks of a mountain or the unfurling fronds
of the fern. It is possible that our visual system,
which evolved in the natural environment, finds
it easier to process these kinds of scenes. The case
85 for this hypothesis is not watertight, though, since
the fractal content in the paintings she analysed
was considerably higher than you would normally
find in natural scenes - to the point that, in other
circumstances, it would be considered too busy to
90 be pleasant. Forsythe thinks that artists may choose
their colours to 'soothe a negative experience we
would normally have when encountering too high
a fractal content'. It's still early days for the field of
neuroaesthetics and this kind of study is probably
95 only a taste of what is to come.
 All in the mind? 11111

•;1 •• .••

First~fi~lthe p'art~ of the te:t 'whi~h relate to each question. The qu~stions follow the sam~ order as the
Information in the·text.
E)iminatf~he options·which 41.~ clearly wro~g and choose the best ~nswer, underlining key phrases or
sentences in the :text. .... ··· ·
R.eread~the questi~~s and. ched~·that the·options you have chosen accurately reflect the information you have
tinderJ(ned in the.text ·· · ·
::: .:s -

1 When the writer viewed the Jackson Pollock 4 In the fourth paragraph, the writer is casting
p ainting in June, she was doubt upon
A not in the right mood to appreciate it. A the belief that people can learn to recognize
good art.
B taken aback by her own response.
B the ability of people to have independent
c reluctant to admit h er opinion to oth ers.
thought.
D puzzled by the reaction of other people.
c the assumption that art can be fairly evaluated.
2 We are told that researchers in the field D the validity of a particular kind of experiment.
of neuroaesthetics
5 When referring to Hawley-Dolan's experiment, the
A intended to locate the ar eas of the brain
writer puts forward the view that
associated with artistic ability.
A people instinctively recognize the work of a
B have shown which artistic styles are likely to
good artist.
enjoy popular appeal.
B there were flaws in the way the research
c wanted to see how brain processes influence
was conducted.
people's response to art.
D have identified the kind of person who would
c the preference for h uman art was largely
predictable.
respond to abstract art.
D the art of non-human species can be
3 In the third paragraph, the writer is unexpectedly skilful.
A outlining criticisms levelled against modern
6 What does the writer suggest about Alex Forsythe?
art.
A She has inspired others to take up the
B contrasting the views of opponents and
discipline of neuroaesthetics.
supporters of modern art.
B She needs to take a less emotive approach to
c expressing a degree of cynicism towards the
her research.
sums paid for artworks.
D implying that paintings are viewed as
c The scope of her research has been
impressively wide.
commodities rather than art.
D Her theory is not entirely convincing.

C:> Reacting to the text

Do you agree that abstract artworks are the 'product of the untalented, sold by the
unprincipled to the utterly bewildered'?
Do you think that artistic ability is something we are born with or can it be learnt?

77
- All in the mind?

(Listening 2 ) Sentence completion ~ 1.29

..._,M_@:'l!ll
."'fll:'IM•r-----'
1 C> Have you ever suffered from any sleep disor ders such as insomnia
or sleepwalking?

2 C> What causes people to have difficulty sleeping?

3 C> Do you think it would be worse to suffer from insomnia or narcolepsy - a sleep
disorder which means that you can fall asleep suddenly at any time?

4 You will hear part of a medical lecture on the topic of narcolepsy, a sleep disorder which
causes people to suddenly fall asleep. For questions 1-8, complete the sentences with a
word or short phrase.

Narcolepsy - an incurable sleep disorder

For many people suffering narcolepsy, an accurate (1) ............................... ......... takes a long time.

It is possible that the lack of a specific (2) .. .. .............. ..... ....... ..... ..... is t he cause of narcolepsy.

Strong (3) ....... ... ......... .. ............... .... can also bring on a loss of muscle control.

Other common symptoms are sleep paralysis at night and (4) ............ .. ...... .... .............. .. in the day.

The (5) ................ ... ..... ... ............. of narcoleptics is often greatly reduced.

The prejudice of others means that some narcoleptics cannot get a first (6) ..................... ................... .

Narcoleptics are unlikely to be allowed to use (7) ........... ..... ...................... .. at work.

The need to keep calm can mean narcoleptics have to alter their (8) ... ................ ........... ...... .... .

Vocabulary 2: Sleep
1 Look at the underlined words in the first half of the listening script for Listening 2 on
page 230 and find
a a verb which means 'to sleep for a short time, especially during the day'.
b three verbs which mean 'to go to sleep, usually without intending to'.

2 Complete the spaces with one of the adjectives or adverbs from the box.

A
good deep fast soundly

1 The kids are staying over at their cousins' so we should get a _ __ night's sleep.
2 The passengers slept in their cabins, unaware of the coming storm.
3 The doctor gave him a sedative and he fell into a sleep.
4 Don't worry, you won't wake her up - she's _ _ _ asleep.

B
wide light sleepless rough

1 Over 2000 homeless people are forced to sleep in this city.

2 It's midnight and I feel awake. I shouldn't have had that coffee.
3 My baby daughter's teething, so we've had a few _ __ nights recently.
4 I've always been a _ _ _ sleeper; I wake up at the slightest sound.

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