Week 7 - NEUROSCIENCE + ART

This week, learning about how the brain and art are connected really opened my mind. The main materials that helped me understand were the article Neuroculture by Giovanni Frazzetto and Suzanne Anker, C. G. Jung’s essay The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man, and the lectures about the influence of neuroscience on art.


 explained that new discoveries about the brain are changing how artists make their work. Artists are now using ideas from brain science to create art that shows what is happening inside our minds, thoughts, feelings, and memories. This makes art feel more personal and helps us understand ourselves in new ways.


Greg Dunn Neuro Art - Brain and Neuroscience Fine Art Paintings


Jung’s writing was about how many people today feel lost or disconnected. He believed this happens because we don’t fully understand our own minds or feelings. Art that explores the brain and consciousness can help us feel more connected, not just to ourselves but also to each other.


Virally labeled neurons (red) and astrocytes (green) in a cortical spheroid derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. THUNDER Model Organism Imagerwith a 2x 0.15 NA objective at 3.4x zoomwas used to produce this 425 μm Z-stack (26 positions), which is presented here as an Extended Depth of Field(EDoF)projection. THUNDER_Imager_Model-Org_Header-Gallery-Neuroscience.jpg


The lectures taught me that artists often use things that our brains naturally like, such as bright colors, repeating patterns, and movement. These features grab our attention and make art more powerful because they connect with how our brains work. After going through these materials, I started to wonder: Will new technology and brain science help us think better, or will we start depending on machines too much? It’s exciting to learn about how the brain works and how it inspires art, but it’s also a little scary to think about losing control of our own thoughts if we rely too much on technology.


Videos and Images I Found Interesting

  • Brain scans that look like colorful art pieces

  • Victoria Vesna’s project “Octopus Brainstorming” about how brains connect

  • TED Talk by VS Ramachandran about how the brain creates what we see


    Resources

    • Vesna, Victoria. “Week 7 Lecture: Neuroscience + Art.” 

    • Vesna, Victoria. “Octopus Brainstorming.” Victoria Vesna, victoriavesna.com/index.php?p=projects&item=6.

    • Ramachandran, V. S. “3 Clues to Understanding Your Brain.” TED, 21 Oct. 2007.

    • Anker, Suzanne, and Giovanni Frazzetto. “Neuroculture.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience, vol. 10, no. 11, 2009.

    • Jung, C. G. “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man.” Collected Works of C. G. Jung, vol. 10, 1958.

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