Empathic Embodied Aesthetics in Florence
January 2023
I traveled to Florence, Italy in order to research Vernon Lee’s long-ignored psychological theories of aesthetics.
At the turn of the 19th century, Lee (pen name for Violet Paget) and her partner Kit proposed a new way of looking at art. They theorized that the emotional and intellectual responses to art are preceded by bodily sensations.
Vernon Lee’s theories of aesthetic empathy were ignored and largely forgotten, undoubtedly due at least in part to her status as a woman and a lesbian in the 1880’s, but also to psychological science’s turn toward behaviorism and cognition.
Despite Lee’s work being underestimated and unreceived, modern research in psychological science seems to be adding weight to her words. For example, Lee displayed a prescient understanding of mirror neurons a century before their discovery.
Florence, Italy, is the inspiration for Lee’s many writings, and the setting for her proposed aesthetic exercises. Lee’s former home, Il Palmerino, is situated in the hills of Florence. It is here that Lee lived, worked, held salons and entertained from 1889 until her death in 1935. Il Palmerino is still active in the Florentine artist community, hosting and promoting artistic events year-round under the direction of Frederica Parretti, whom I had the opportunity to extensively meet with.
I visited Il Palmerino, talked with Federica, read Vernon Lee, and followed the “experiments” with Florentine art Lee proposed in her writings.
Invoking empathy and embodiment while looking at objects requires us to slow down, and dwell in our encounters with art. This blurs the subject-object distinction, offering potential for a non-objectifying and non-dehumanizing gaze. Embodied empathic looking at art is conducive to powerful, potentially liberating, aesthetic experiences for everyone- leading to improved well-being. It is key in increasing accessibility to art among people of classes and backgrounds that are historically excluded. I have loved the opportunity tο investigε questions like these that art historians and critics, philosophers, psychologists, and neuroscientists have asked throughout modern history, and are still asking today.
On my Venture Grant to Italy I also visited the city of Reggio Emilia to learn about its eponymous education theory- Reggio Children. I met with the director of the Malaguzzi center, visited a Reggio school, and read about the theory vis-a-vis creativity and the development of our aesthetic sense. This is relevant to my study of developmental psychology, my work at the CC Children’s Center, and my future plans to become a child therapist.
This Venture Grant also gave me my first opportunity to travel beyond Colorado or have a study abroad experience before graduating college. I visited Italy alone, never having left America, and with no knowledge of the language. As one could expect, I grew greatly from this experience and will remember it fondly for the rest of my life.
more of my photos from Florence
I would like to express my gratitude to the Keller Family and the Venture Grant Fund for this incredible opportunity.
