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The Evolution of Allure: Sexual Selection from the Medici Venus to the Incredible Hulk
The Evolution of Allure Sexual Selection from the Medici Venus to the Incredible Hulk Author:George Hersey "Hersey . . . estblishes compelling connections between high art and popular culture in this entertaining interdisciplinary romp." -- Choice "A highly interesting look of the element of 'beauty' as manifested in art throughout the ages." -- Art Times The beauty of the human body has found a daring beholder in art historian George... more » 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, Dürer, and the phone-sex goddesses of D-Cup Superstars, Hersey's 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.« less