ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on visual perception. Visual perception relies on the second aspect of seeing that goes beyond the neurophysiological capacity to see, and is shaped by the culturally governed aesthetic preferences that define beauty. The human being was the focus in Renaissance ideas as a reflection of beauty: beauty, however, is a manifestation of God’s perfection. Therefore, what was expressed in the visual art of the period articulated the glory of God and His Creation. Visual art also focuses on the visual recording of particular engagements and those recordings themselves become art objects, for example Richard Long’s engagements with the landscape. Sometimes when the viewer tries to understand contemporary art displayed in museums, the meaning the artist is trying to convey can remain elusive. Understanding the relationship between an object and the way it looks is very important when talking about visual art and archaeology.
