This experience of colored smelling exemplifies the neurological phenomenon synesthesia that has received considerable attention recently. This book is a curious m lange of hard science, personal speculation and brilliant deductive reasoning which elucidates the mysteries of this arcane subject in a highly entertaining manner. However, before I consider his and other theories of possible causes of this confusion of the senses, some historical background may help provide a general context for these ideas. Exactly what synesthesia is and how it occurs is a subject of some controversy. In fact, until recently many scientists questioned its existence, although, it is now widely accepted as a genuine neurological phenomenon.
Synesthesia is the effect of one sense triggering a response in another.
Long before this phenomenon was explained, many major artists had experimented with fusions of diverse art forms, often creating compelling works whose history includes specific references to synesthetic experience. Wagner s intention was to enrapture and mesmerize his audience, transporting them to a mystical mythological realm. He even had a concert hall built in Bayreuth where his unique dramas could be performed in accordance with his frequently inconsistent theories. His writings influenced an entire generation of musicians and artists, particularly in France where his ideas were transformed in a very un-Wagnerian manner. This artist, quoted at the beginning of this paper, explored a richly erotic world of symbolic sensorial connections.