From Light to Color: A Scientific Explanation of Poetry

Since the origins of civilization, humans have viewed the concept of “light” as paving the way to a higher dimension, whether spiritual or artistic. Ever since we became conscious of our own existence, our brains have experienced multisensorial experiences, and we have tried to identify what happens in our brain when we perceive an artistic stimulus.  

Not only painters, but also poets and architects have identified “light” as a higher element. This lecture will examine the presence and meaning of “light” as creator of “color” in the history of Spanish literature and painting, with some examples from music and architecture.  I hope to show how a purely scientific experience, such as our vision of color through light,  is a founding element of the artistic experience of reading a poem.