This essay is a theoretically driven text where I juxtapose and discuss different approaches to understanding artistic practice and perception, with a main focus on neurology and sociology. The research question can be summarised as follows: is neurological research applicable to the field of art theory or is it too conflicting with the already established doctrine? The essay is commenced by a summary of neuroscientific research on the visual brain. Then on I discuss a brief history of sociological art theory. Lastly I compare theories by neurobiologist Semir Zeki with theories by anthropologist, sociologist and philosopher Pierre Bourdieu. Ultimately I conclude that it is indeed possible to merge neuroscientific and sociological art theory. In fact, if we do not attempt a merger, the art world might miss out on the useful insights that neuroscientific research puts forward.