Art does more than enrich life. It influences everything, from consumer product choices to stress levels to recovery after surgery. But what makes a piece of art pleasing?  On one hand, evaluating art seems to be, well, more of an art than a science. After all, galleries have been tricked into showcasing work by a toddler, and people have paid thousands of dollars for art made by chimpanzees.  Still, we know that pleasing aesthetic experiences engage regions of the brain including emotional and self-referential processing centers. Research also suggests that people are universally drawn to certain patterns, special layouts, and conventions such as fractals and symmetry. This may be because…