Aesthetic complexity

Karl Svozil

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Aesthetic complexity

Karl Svozil

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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.

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Karl Svozil. 2008-04-01. Aesthetic complexity. https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0505088

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