Limits of perception 03/12/2010
In a recent paper published in Trends in Cognitive Science, Alex Holcombe reminds us that the temporal limits of perception do not allow for instance to know whether at any moment all hooves of a galloping horse raise above the ground. I found this hardly believable, however a painting of Gustave Courbet, exhibited at the Neue Pinakothek of Munich, indicates that this is the case. Even a careful observer - a figurative painter - can get it wrong. The painting shows a "bolting" horse with the four hooves above the ground, which apparently can never happen with the legs stretched. Courbet was a victim of the poor temporal resolution of his visual sense.  Gustave Courbet, Bolting Horse The first analysis of a galloping horse motion is due to Eadweard Muybridge, in 1877, at the end of Courbet's life. Actually it seems that he did it in part because it was a source of debate at the time (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muybridge).  | AboutCabinet of curiosities were the ancestors of the museum, as places where the idle rich exhibited objects they deemed interesting, sometimes without any systematic order. Although I could call this a "blog", "cabinet of curiosities" sounds much more respectable. ArchivesJune 2010 CategoriesAll |
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