Chapter 19

Summary

• Breitwieser began his theft career stealing from museums, favoring items that attracted him from the medieval era to the onset of modernism.
• Together with Anne-Catherine, they would identify elements that attracted them to specific works, with Breitwieser's preference being northern European works from the 16th and 17th centuries.
• The chapter discusses the inexplicable nature of taste for art, presenting it as a product of humanity overcoming natural selection. Art potentially has Darwinian basis as a method to attract a mate. It's present in every culture and is noted as a signal of human freedom and the result of leisure time.
• The most preferred art often contains landscapes including trees, water, and animals. Cultural background and personal essence contribute towards what attracts us to certain pieces of art.
• In 2011, professor Semir Zeki used MRI scanners to track neural activity in the brain whilst volunteers looked at art. The results appeared to indicate a specific location responsible for aesthetic reactions.
• Breitwieser was particularly attracted to oil paint and often stole paintings that evoked a sense of liberation, particularly works from the era of individualism when artists began to work outside of church control.
• Modern art did not interest Breitwieser as he lacked the emotional connection. He wasn't impressed by works from even the Renaissance's greats, such as da Vinci.
• Breitwieser often stolen smaller works known as "cabinet paintings" as they are easier to steal and hide.
• Aside from paintings, Breitwieser also stole beauty-in-function type items, most of which were created before the Industrial Revolution, as he believed they represented the height of human civilization and beauty.