Hello
My name is Vanessa Brassey
I write journal papers about topics in philosophy, make films about philosophy for a general audience, and paint pictures of things that I find beautiful or energising.
I'm a visiting researcher at King's College London, where I also teach MA philosophy of art. I am also doing an UG degree in Portraiture at the Art Academy London (based next to Borough Market).
Papers & Talks
Brassey, V. (2023) Time for Beauty (conference presentation)ras
Brassey, V. (2023) Time for Twofoldness (conference presentation)
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Brassey, V. The Expression of Emotions in Pictures, Routledge 2024. Co-editor with Professor Derek Matravers.
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Brassey, V. (2023). The Pictorial Narrator Estetika
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Brassey, V (2022) . Affect in Artistic Creativity: Painting to Feel (Book Review), British Journal of Aesthetics
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Brassey, V. (2021). The Expression of Emotion in Pictures, Philosophy Compass,https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12767
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Brassey, V. (2020). What Makes a Painting Sad? Thesis, King's College London.
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BRASSEY, V. (2020). Still Moving. Debates in Aesthetics, Volume 15,(1), pp. 35-50.​
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BRASSEY, V. (2019). The Implied Painter. Debates in Aesthetics, Volume 14,(1), pp. 15-29.
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'Time for Beauty'
BSA Fellowship 2022-3
I am thrilled to have been awarded the BSA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2022-3. My project will be to explore the poorly defined concept of time-based aesthetic properties in (still) pictures, which I claim, helps to explain the representation and the expression of sophisticated emotions, such as regret, nostalgia, and euphoria. This challenges a longstanding assumption that expressiveness in a picture (and other aesthetic properties) depends solely on spatial extension - a curve here or a line there – while musical expressiveness depends on temporal properties namely, rhythm, melody, and cadence. However, given that sophisticated emotions such as nostalgia point to the past, it seems that the expressive qualities of at least some (such as nostalgic) pictures are interestingly time based.
Films with a philosophical twist
Art & Emotion
Made in collaboration with The National Gallery These films are written & Produced by Vanessa Brassey and directed by EnvisMedia.
Radical Radio Philosophy
I had a lovely chat with Beth Matthews who produces a Radio Program on 3CR called Radical Philosophy in Melbourne Australia. 3cr.org.au/radicalphilosophy. She asks good questions and I bang on for far to long with my answers. Anyway here it is.
Magazines & papers in progress
The Pictorial Narrator (Under Review)
Visual Tempo (Conference Draft)
Time for Beauty (Film Script Draft)
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Please contact me by email if you would like information on presentations.
'The Sublime' - Produced and directed by Vanessa Brassey for the National Gallery, featuring Sacha Golob, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London.
Trailer for 'The Pleasures of Regret'
A short film primer accompanying journal article in Philosophy Compass 'The Expression of Emotion in Pictures'. Written, presented, and produced by Dr Vanessa Brassey
'Art, Pray, Love" a powerpoint presentation about paintings in The National Gallery collection. Written and presented by Dr Vanessa Brassey
A short introductory film about the Centre for Philosophy and Art, King's College London
Films
Interviews with Artists
I have also produced several films for King's College, London which you can see here:
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Nutshells
Topic led Interviews
An ongoing project that engages with artists on a more informal level and explore contact points between contemporary academic philosophy and current art making practices.
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Artist Residency
Sense of Time
The recent residency included a successful collaboration between Professor Matt Soteriou and Artist Ted Hunt which featured in the Bush House Exhibition 2019. See the film about it here
Podcasts
All Too Human: Anxiety & The Philosophy of Art
Listen here to Sacha Golob and Vanessa Brassey in conversation on ‘Anxiety’. This was recorded in advance of CPVA’s Tate Britain panel and workshop – Sat 2nd June (2018) from 13:00.