Italian Academy September 2003 Touching Art : Intimacy , Embodiment , and the Somatosensory System

Imagine you are standing in an art museum, mesmerized by an enormous canvas of turbulent paint. Though you find no recognizable images, you are fascinated by the swirling movements of rich azures and cobalt blues. Your eyes follow the artist’s long, energetic brush strokes across the work, and you feel a sense of motion inside your body. Suddenly, your attention is caught by a small area of densely applied paint—a deep crimson. You linger. The thick color glows. As your awareness of the surroundings dim, the bright spot on the canvas expands, and the sensuous color seems to flow into you. You are immersed. Instants later, the bond breaks, as your attention shifts to a nearby conversation.