Charles Butter is Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor). He has taught and performed research on brain, behavior and mental processes at the University of Michigan for 38 years. His research interests include brain mechanisms of visual attention and space perception, brain control of emotional behavior (see Curriculum vitae). He has conducted this research in monkeys and in humans with brain damage following stroke and Alzheimer's Disease.

Why are balance around the center, expressiveness, ornamentation and symbolic meanings found in the visual art of cultures separated in time and space? How does mental imagery, which artists over the centuries have claimed they use, contribute to artistic creativity? In my book "Crossing Cultural Borders: Universals in Art and Their Biological Roots" I suggest that answers to these questions can be found by examining the role of biological evolution in the making and viewing of art. The biological approach informs us that the aspects of art mentioned above are universal (in the sense that they cross cultural borders) because they depend upon physical and mental aptitudes that are products of evolution and promoted the survival. This view does not belittle the enormous role that cultural influences play in the viewing and creation of art. According to the view expressed in this book, art is a product of interactions between culture and biology - what I refer to as 'the nurturing of nature.' Universal aspects of art are the foundation stones upon which each culture constructs its unique aesthetic accomplishments. By examining the biological sources of art's universal features, we help to achieve a balance between culturally-specific and global concerns in the arts and promote common values of art lovers and artists throughout the world. For a fuller description of this book, see Prospectus Prospectus | About the Author | Author's CV | Contact the Author

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