The Descriptive Representation Of An Object By Means Of Outline Or Contour Drawing.

Leonardo

journal article

Amplifying the Mind's Eye: Sketching and Visual Cognition

Leonardo

Published By: The MIT Press

Leonardo

https://doi.org/10.2307/1578475

https://www. jstor .org/stable/1578475

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Abstract

Although new technology is widely used for detailed design and image manipulation, its use in the early stages of visual invention is much less common, one reason being that the denotation systems used in paper-and-pencil sketching assist creativity in ways that are poorly understood. Leonardo da Vinci advocated the use of untidy indeterminacies for working out composition, because he believed that they stimulated visual invention. Recent research in cognitive psychology suggests a mental-imagery model that expands Leonardo's theory and provides evidence for cognitive mechanisms that clarify the function of familiar sketch attributes. Sketches may mediate mental translation between spatially depictive and structurally descriptive modes of visual representation. Evidence for a hybrid percept-image theory of ordinary paper sketching is briefly outlined. Some implications of this theory for the development of improved computer sketching systems are briefly discussed.

Journal Information

Leonardo was founded in 1968 with the goal of becoming an international channel of communication for artists who use science and developing technologies in their work. Today, Leonardo is the leading international journal for readers interested in the application of contemporary science and technology to the arts and music. The benefits of a Leonardo subscription are manifold. A subscription to Leonardo includes Leonardo Music Journal, ISSN 0961-1215 (including compact disc), featuring the latest in music, multimedia art, sound science and technology. In addition Leonardo subscribers become members of Leonardo/ISAST (the International Society for the Arts, Sciences and Technology) and receive reduced rates on all Society publications. Subscribers to Leonardo are also granted access to Leonardo Electronic Almanac.

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Among the largest university presses in the world, The MIT Press publishes over 200 new books each year along with 30 journals in the arts and humanities, economics, international affairs, history, political science, science and technology along with other disciplines. We were among the first university presses to offer titles electronically and we continue to adopt technologies that allow us to better support the scholarly mission and disseminate our content widely. The Press's enthusiasm for innovation is reflected in our continuing exploration of this frontier. Since the late 1960s, we have experimented with generation after generation of electronic publishing tools. Through our commitment to new products—whether digital journals or entirely new forms of communication—we have continued to look for the most efficient and effective means to serve our readership. Our readers have come to expect excellence from our products, and they can count on us to maintain a commitment to producing rigorous and innovative information products in whatever forms the future of publishing may bring.