Ambiguity in Art

A non-linear theory proposed different models of perception of ambiguous patterns, describing different aspects of multistable behaviour of the brain. This paper aims to review the phenomenon of ambiguity in art and to show that the mathematical models of the perception of ambiguous patterns should be regarded as one of the basic models of artistic perception. The following type of ambiguity in art will be considered. Visual ambiguity in painting, semantic (meaning) ambiguity in literature (for instance, ambiguity which V. Shklovsky called ‘the man who is out of his proper place’), ambiguity in puns, jokes and anecdotes, and mixed (visual and semantic) ambiguity in acting and sculpture. The complexity theory of the brain revealed that the human brain as a complex system operates close to the point of instability and ambiguity in art must be regarded as an important tool for supporting the brain near this critical point that gives human beings possibilities for better adaptation.