Art as Mirror: Creativity and Communication in Aesthetics

Is the psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts merely a convenient concatenation of vaguely related topics within psychology, or is there actually a psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts that should capture the attention of members of Division 10 of APA? The intersection of creativity, art, and aesthetics is explored in this Rudolf Arnheim Award address. Four underlying questions are examined: is art inherently creative?; what is the communicative intent of art?; what is a painting like?; and, does art make us better people? Combined, they essentially ask what is art and the perception of art all about? The style of the presentation is informal, and includes personal musings as well as anecdotal and autobiographical information.