#michelangelo-effect

#michelangelo-effect

The brain processes aesthetic experience like other rewards, such as food or money, indicating that the appreciation of beauty is deeply rooted in our neurological responses.

Braulio gives the crowd an incredible insight into a decade's worth of poster designs for Good Room, revealing how he finds inspiration in the most mundane things just by paying attention to what has 'already been designed' and remixing it into something new.

Beauty, it turns out, is capable of launching not just an armada of ships, but a cascade of the same feel-good chemicals you get from being in love, eating chocolate, exercising, and having orgasms- dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin. It also lowers stress, blood pressure, and heart rate.

One tenet of classical idealism is the idea that Roman and Greek statuary embodied an ideal of pure whiteness-a misconception modern sculptors perpetuated for hundreds of years by making busts and statues in polished white marble. But the truth is that both Greek statues and their Roman counterparts were originally brightly painted in riotous color.

"Piano piano" is an old Italian saying that sounds nonsensical, but is actually full of wisdom, especially if you, like me, are finding yourself wishing away these frigid winter days and hoping spring and summer gets here fast. These days, I've found myself rushing from one thing to the next, frustrated at the smallest things, from post office lines to just missing my train. And I'm ready to make a change.

Van Dyck's stay in Italy was pivotal to the development of his artistic language, above all because it accelerated his emancipation from the model of his master Rubens.

Pallabazzer recommends seeing the historic center of Florence at different times of the day. In the early morning, you'll get to experience it "without noise and the pressing pace of crowds." Midday brings droves of visitors, but the destination is "bathed in sunshine." In the evening, "the lights of the street lamps stretch out over the Lungarni [the streets along the Arno River], creating a truly magical effect."

As 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the auction house Christie's is hosting multiple auctions later this month as part of "Americana Week." Was I the only one who didn't know that Jimmy Carter was also a painter? The lots include a painting by that president, Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington for James Madison, and Grant Wood's original study for "American Gothic" (1930).

As if demolishing the East Wing, gutting arts agencies, and slapping his name and face on several federal buildings weren't enough, the US president now wants to do away with a DC building known as the "Sistine Chapel of New Deal art." This week, we reported on a burgeoning campaign to save the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building, which houses murals by Ben Shahn, Philip Guston, Seymour Fogel, and other major American artists. We will continue to follow this story.

Supporting existing research on the benefits of viewing original artwork versus reproductions, a new study found that seeing authentic art can help drop cortisol levels, among other positive effects on the nervous system. Still in pre-print since its submission last October, "The Physiological Impact of Viewing Original Artworks vs. Reprints: a Comparative Study" was conducted by researchers from the Department of Psychological Medicine at King's College in London working in collaboration with the Courtauld Institute of Art.