Interactive. Tutorial. Timeline. Homepage. A Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel. WikiProject Wikipedia Saves Public Art - Wikipedia, the free enc. The Natural History of Art | Genetics. We seem to be biologically prepared to look for very specific cues about the natural world, in much the manner of chipping sparrows choosing coniferous branches. In separate surveys, Ulrich, Orians, and others have found that people respond strongly to landscapes with open, grassy vegetation, scattered stands of branchy trees, water, changes in elevation, winding trails, and brightly lit clearings, preferably partly obscured by foliage in the foreground.
It’s a landscape that invites exploration, promising resources and refuge at the same time. The changes in elevation—a view of distant mountains, for instance—provide a landmark to help the viewer orient himself in the scene. The winding trail and the partly obscured clearing provide mystery and entice our innate curiosity to explore. Flowers are valuable not merely for their beauty, but also because they promise fruit and honey.
All this may seem like a long way from a John Constable landscape. But wait. Fabrica | the Benetton group communications research center.