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The Evolution of Allure: Sexual Selection from the Medici Venus to the Incredible Hulk
"Hersey is exploring the ways that life imitates art, a subject which has been thought about by many observers of both; but here with an additional application of the theory of sexual selection. This book is written with an immense relish that adds strong literary persuasion to its already persuasive argument."
-- Anne Hollander, author of "Sex & Suits: The Evolution of Modern Dress" (1995) The beauty of the human body has found a daring beholder in art historian George Hersey, who for the first time brings modern Darwinian theories of sexual selection (mate competition, attractor manipulation, and the like) into the history of art. "The Evolution of Allure" shows how Western art has channeled mate choice, exploiting the cosmetics, clothes, muscles, organs, and ornaments that showcase the body. From the Medici Venus to Vitruvius, Leonardo, Durer, and the phone-sex goddesses of "D-Cup Superstars," Hersey9s lively, erotically charged text shows that the formulas set forth by the Greek sculptor Polykleitos have established a Western canon of human gestures and proportions and may have influenced human evolution.
-- Anne Hollander, author of "Sex & Suits: The Evolution of Modern Dress" (1995) The beauty of the human body has found a daring beholder in art historian George Hersey, who for the first time brings modern Darwinian theories of sexual selection (mate competition, attractor manipulation, and the like) into the history of art. "The Evolution of Allure" shows how Western art has channeled mate choice, exploiting the cosmetics, clothes, muscles, organs, and ornaments that showcase the body. From the Medici Venus to Vitruvius, Leonardo, Durer, and the phone-sex goddesses of "D-Cup Superstars," Hersey9s lively, erotically charged text shows that the formulas set forth by the Greek sculptor Polykleitos have established a Western canon of human gestures and proportions and may have influenced human evolution.
- GenresHistoryPsychology
235 pages, Paperback
First published May 10, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 6, 2022
Cheguei neste livro pensando que o autor iria me contar as razões pelas quais as pessoas são atraídas ou seduzidas por outras através de sua fisicalidade e aparência. Mas não encontrei muito essas explicações. O autor promete contar uma história da Vênus de Médici ao Incrível Hulk, mas nenhum destes dois produtos culturais possui muito destaque no livro. O que parece tomar de assombro o leitor são justificativas biológicas de seleção sexual que não diferem muito da fisiogonomia de Cesare Lombroso ou dos experimentos estéticos dos médicos e cientistas nazistas que também são abordados neste livro. Me pareceu que faltou uma justificativa mais sociocultural para este "allure" e também um arremate no livro demonstrando que esse sentimento/emoção realmente evoluiu e se diferenciou de apenas uma seleção sexual que parece ser o motivo pelo qual as pessoas se sentem atraidas uma pelas outras, segundo o autor.
January 20, 2026
Anlatım dağınık . Konu çok ilginç .
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews