ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the different strands of neuroaesthetics. It provides some of the principal objections to and critiques of various approaches. The chapter presents several models, which attempt to address some of the shortcomings and provides a unifying framework for the future of neuroaesthetics. The quest to identify the brain systems implicated in the processing of art and aesthetics can be considered to operate along three major strands: Descriptive neuroaesthetics, Experimental neuroaesthetics and Informative Anecdotes. A prominent pattern emerging from work in descriptive neuroaesthetics is the important role of the Default Mode Network in art appreciation and perception. Experimental neuroaesthetics seeks to investigate the neural phenomena associated with aesthetic experience using the techniques of experimental psychology and neuroscience, often incorporating functional brain imaging. Neuroscientist Christoph Redies, using Redies' Unifying Model, attempts to combine universal beauty and cultural context within a unifying model of visual aesthetic experience.
