Week 7 | Neuroscience + Art

    While studying Art History back in high school, I often noticed that some of the most talented and creative artists suffered either from a brain disorder or some drug addiction such as LSD (Vesna). Artist Katherine Sherwood, for example, was 44 when her brain suffered a hemorrhage in its left hemisphere. Previously, Sherwood’s art was fairly linear, controlled, and used dull colors. After the paralysis of her dominant hand however, her art style changed and it became more free-form, natural, and vibrant (Sohn).
Sherwood's art before hemorrhage (Neuroskeptic)


Sherwood's art after hemorrhage (Neuroskeptic)

    Partial damage to the parietal lobe, the area of the brain that controls spatial recognition, influenced this sudden change in style (Gardner 324). Another example portraying the essential relationship between brain function and art is Georgia O’Keeffe, known for her paintings during a migraine attack. Normally, O’Keeffe drew sensual and vibrant paintings of flowers. During an attack though, her artwork drastically changed into distorted shapes and abstract visual illusions due to her hypersensitivity to light and hallucinations (Podoll).

O'Keeffe's painting during a migraine attack (Podoll)

    Furthermore, new advances in technology allow us to scan the neurons in our brains, opening up a new area of Neuroscience art that blends in with last week’s BioTech Art. With fMRI and PET Scans, artists and scientists are able to see what areas of the brain light up when humans perform certain functions (Frazzetto and Anker). 

fMRI image of the brain's active areas when it is viewing art (Brooks)

This “brainbow” of colors is certainly my favorite artwork related to neuroscience, and I can’t wait to see this field expand as the brain learns more and more about itself. 

Source: 
Brooks, Katherine. "It Turns Out Your Brain Might Be Wired To Enjoy Art, So You Have No Excuses." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 June 2014. Web. 21 May 2017.

Frazzetto, Giovanni, and Suzanne Anker. "Neuroculture." Nature Reviews Neuroscience 10.11 (2009): 815-21. Web.

Gardner, Howard. Art, Mind and Brain: A Cognitive Approach to Creativity. New York: Basic, 1998. Print.

Kruschewsky, Gabriela. "There's A Glow-In-The-Dark Beach In The Maldives. Yes, Really." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 May 2014. Web. 14 May 2017.

Neuroskeptic. "How A Stroke Changed Katherine Sherwood's Art." Neuroskeptic. N.p., 15 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 May 2017.

Podoll, Klaus. "Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986)." Http://www.migraine-aura.com/content/e24966/e22874/e23241/index_en.html. Migraine Aura Foundation, 25 Mar. 2005. Web. 21 May 2017.

Sohn, Emily. "After Brain Damage, the Creative Juices Flow for Some." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2011. Web. 21 May 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. Lecture. “Conscious / Memory (Part 3).” 16 Nov 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=E5EX75xoBJ0


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