The Aesthetic Animal
Henrik Hogh-Olesen
Reviews and Awards
"The Aesthetic Animal compiles interesting results about artistic and aesthetic behaviors and frames them in an evolutionary perspective." -- Julien P. Renoult, Academic Studies Press
"The Aesthetic Animal by Henrik Høgh-Olesen (Aarhus U., Denmark) is the best book I've ever read on the evolutionary origins of art. Incredibly concise. Required reading for anybody interested in beauty." -- Geoffrey Miller, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of New Mexico
"The Aesthetic Animal is a highly engaging book. In it, Høgh-Olesen describes several opposing theories of aesthetics, then demonstrates how their insights can be integrated in terms of several principles. The personality of the author comes through in a charming and endearing light. A signicant contribution to the literature on aesthetics and a joy to read!" -- Dennis Krebs, Professor of Psychology Emeritus, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
"Solid, versatile, well documented, and a pleasure to read. The author carries his knowledge with lightness." -- Jacob Wamberg, Professor of Art History, Aarhus University
"Høgh-Olesen argues that aesthetic impulses are human universals grounded in sensory experience. Making use of research in comparative psychology, he gives evidence that human aesthetic impulses originate in capacities humans share with other animals but that humans have a primary adaptive need for art that other animals do not have." -- Joseph Carroll, Curators' Distinguished Professor, University of Missouri, St. Louis
"Eminently readable, comprehensive, and scienti cally solid, Professor Høgh-Olesen's impressive book provides compelling answers to some of the biggest mysteries in aesthetics and human behavior. I love it!" -- Mathias Clasen, Institute of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University
"Provides a brief introduction to major areas of inquiry: whether the pursuit of aesthetic stimulation is driven by pleasure or need, how aesthetic pursuit may have been conditioned in prehistory, how aesthetic value is connected to reproductive success, how our proclivity for decoration is rooted in a biological need to signal fitness and social status, and how aesthetic behavior is at the biological, psychological, and neurological foundation of the human species." -- Choice
