Neuroscience+Art

Neuroscience and art have a very interesting relationship. Art affects the mind, just as the mind gives art a particular meaning. Artists study the brain in order to find out what different colors, or shapes alter the way the brain perceives art. Even though artists and neuroscientists seem to have not that much in common, in reality they do. This quote from the article by Mengfei Huang of Stanford University depicts the comparison perfectly, “Artists like to break neurologic and perceptual rules, but in order to break rules, one must first understand them. Thus, it is fitting that artists take just as much interest in understanding visual perception as the neuroscientist, and have created in their canvases a repository of knowledge from their investigations.” This shows that artist indeed must understand neurological details, in order for them to implement in their artworks.

 Research in the field of Neuroaesthetics shows us, through the work of Ishizu and Zeki, that there are neural mechanisms that make people appreciate beautiful pieces of artwork. In one study, volunteers had to rate thirty different paintings presented to them on a beauty scale from one to nine. One to three would be meant as “ugly,” four to six as “indifferent,” and seven to nine as “beautiful.” At the conclusion of this study, the results demonstrated that there was a single region that was common to all of the volunteers that were more active when they viewed the painting they deemed beautiful. This common area in the brain was called the medial orbiotfrontal cortex, and this neural activity would increase in this region seen in the picture below. This is an interesting study because it shows us that the brain and artwork are undoubtedly connected.

This experiment shows us how intersected the brain and art truly are. However, the scientists upon doing more research, found out that not only one brain region is increased by experiencing beauty; rather there is much interaction among the different brain regions. In another article that also talks about Neuroaesthetics, the author states that neuroaesthetics is aimed at advancing our understanding of humans processing beauty and art. Many times in art, the shadow contours do not look like actual reality, but to our eyes the shadows make the piece of artwork look real. Artists also exaggerate certain features or colors, in order to get the artwork to look a certain way to the viewer. These tricks, made by the artist, help the viewer see the artwork better. In Impression, Sunrise by Monet, the shimmering of the water surfaces, as well as the sun’s glow is seen because the objects are similarly painted, but with different colors.

Citations

Faulks, Sebastian. "The Neuroscience of Art." The Lancet. (2008): 715-16. Web.

"Neuroaesthetics | The Scientist Magazine®." The Scientist. Web. 18 July 2014.

"Neuroscience-pt1.mov." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 July 2014.

"Neuroscience-pt2.mov." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 18 July 2014.

"Statement on Neuroesthetics." Statement on Neuroesthetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 July 2014.