Linking Neuroscience To A Psychophysical Test On Line Perception And To The Use Of Self-Adhesive Tape In Contemporary Painting

Abstract

The first part of this essay discusses recent neurobiological discoveries in the realm of line and color perception as they manifest as reactions of our visual brains to stimuli in visual art. It subsequently explains the design and findings of a psychophysical test, which was conducted with the aim of gaining insight into whether so-called experts and non-experts are equally capable of distinguishing straight lines in paintings, created freehand or with the use of self-adhesive tape. The second part of the essay focuses on the particularly creative adaptations of self-adhesive tape in the work of select contemporary painters: Ed Ruscha, Michael Craig-Martin, Tim Eitel, Magnus Plessen, Silvia Plimack Mangold, Mel Bochner, Ben Johnson, Cipriano Martínez, Bernard Frize, and David Reed.