Week 7: Neuroscience and Art
This week, Professor Vesna talks about the connections between neuroscience and art and the impact neuroscience has had on our society. From the outside, it is tough to see the connection between the two fields. According to our culture, neuroscience is the study of the brain and how it functions. However, art is seen in a creative and subjective way of life. Nonetheless, ideas sprouted by artists are often controversial. As we go deeper into the history of art and neuroscience, we can begin to see how the two fields can collide.
In the 1960s, an artistic fab came about. The name of this fab is "Op Art". This type of art ran crazy through scientific and artistic fields. For the scientific side, many scientists were beginning to discover how the retina processes color and how the color of someone's iris could play a part in the color processing. Artists, however, began to take advantage of this new discovery and created art that had messed with people's perceptions. While reading an article, I found a quote saying, "Artists like Richard Anuszkewitz were even characterized as "scienti c artists" in their highly methodical creation of artworks that scintilla-lated the eye with its often jarring retinal effects" (Huang).
The relationship between neuroscience and art has usually been seen as the way one complements the other or how an artist will take a scientific discovery and incorporate it into their own work. However, recently, people have been using the study of neuroscience to help study art. This is also known as neuroaesthetics. The idea that all art and creativity come from the brain is not a new idea, but scientists are looking at art and trying to understand how the brain creates art.
Resources:
In the 1960s, an artistic fab came about. The name of this fab is "Op Art". This type of art ran crazy through scientific and artistic fields. For the scientific side, many scientists were beginning to discover how the retina processes color and how the color of someone's iris could play a part in the color processing. Artists, however, began to take advantage of this new discovery and created art that had messed with people's perceptions. While reading an article, I found a quote saying, "Artists like Richard Anuszkewitz were even characterized as "scienti c artists" in their highly methodical creation of artworks that scintilla-lated the eye with its often jarring retinal effects" (Huang).
The relationship between neuroscience and art has usually been seen as the way one complements the other or how an artist will take a scientific discovery and incorporate it into their own work. However, recently, people have been using the study of neuroscience to help study art. This is also known as neuroaesthetics. The idea that all art and creativity come from the brain is not a new idea, but scientists are looking at art and trying to understand how the brain creates art.
Resources:
Beason-Held, Lori. "The Art of Neuroscience II." The Neuro Bureau. N.p., 31 Mar. 2013. Web. Photo. 20 May 2017.
Dunn, Greg. "Print | Product Categories | Greg Dunn Design." Greg Dunn Design. N.p., n.d. Web. Photo.21 May 2017.
Huang, Mengfei. "The Neuroscience of Creativity." Comic Art, Creativity and the Law (n.d.): 7-11. Stanford University. Web. 19 May 2017.
Marcos. "Toward A Brain-Based Theory of Beauty (Ishizu & Zeki, 2011)." International Network for Neuroaesthetics. N.p., 21 Aug. 2011. Web. Photo. 20 May 2017.
Noe, Alva. "Art and the Limits of Neuroscience." Opinionator Art and the Limits of Neuroscience Comments. New York Times, 4 Dec. 2011. Web. 19 May 2017.
Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 2).” 16 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Xlg5wXHWZNI>
Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious / Memory (Part 1).” Lecture. 16 Nov 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DLVQIwOn7o8>
I really liked how you related neuroscience to "Op Art" and how certain patterns and colors affect a person's perception. I have always enjoyed books of optical illusions but never really thought of its relation to both science and art. I understand now though how an "Op Art" artist needs to have a very thorough understanding of how people process color. During my own research, I also ran across how many people study and are interested in how the mind perceives art. I find this a fascinating field because there aren't really answers to why some people like certain art and not others.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog this week! I liked how you compared how neuroscience used to complement art, but now how is has transformed into neuroscience helping art. Great connections throughout your work, keep up the great work!!
ReplyDeleteYour blog this week was so unique! I loved how you tied together the concept of neuroscience with retina perceptions and art. I think its awesome how illusion art can play into each person's perspective in different ways. It made me think of the popular meme of the blue or white dress in which wavelengths of color reflect differently into certain people's eyes!
ReplyDeleteHey Chase. I think you really have a good point about neurosesthetics and how artists continue to draw inspiration from science, and the inverse too. Art is all around us and so is science, so it will be interesting to follow scientific research as it dives into to relationship between the two. Good job.
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