Aesthetic complexity
Abstract
Aesthetics, among other criteria, can be statistically examined in terms of the complexity required for creating and decrypting a work of art. We propose three laws of aesthetic complexity. According to the first law of aesthetic complexity, too condensed encoding makes a decryption of a work of art impossible and is perceived as chaotic by the untrained mind, whereas too regular structures are perceived as monotonous, too orderly and not very stimulating. Thus a necessary condition for an artistic form or design to appear appealing is its complexity to lie within a bracket between monotony and chaos. According to the second law of aesthetic complexity, due to human predisposition, this bracket is invariably based on natural forms; with rather limited plasticity. The third law of aesthetic complexity states that aesthetic complexity trends are dominated by the available resources, and thus also by cost and scarcity.
Cite
@article{arxiv.physics/0505088,
title = {Aesthetic complexity},
author = {Karl Svozil},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:physics/0505088},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
Times Up Laboratories Data Ecology Workshop II, Linz, Austria, May 2006, as well as at the Alpbach Technology Forum 2007 - Emergence in Science and Technology - The Five Senses, Alpbach, Tyrol, Austria, August 2007