Neuroscience and Art

This week, we focused on the intersection of neuroscience and art. As a psychology major, I have always been fascinated with the abilities of the brain and learning more about human behavior. However, I never really thought of neuroscience being used with art until this week. 

In 1796, the German neuroanatomist Franz Joseph Gall invented the concept of phrenology. Phrenology involves the idea that mental functions are localized in specific areas of the brain. Gall examined the heads of multiple criminals and found that many of them had bumps on their skull around their ear. He proposed that the bumps on heads could be linked to a person's personality. The bumps around the criminals' ears, he suggested, could be linked with the likelihood to steal. Although phrenology was popular in the 1800s, we now know that it is a form a pseudoscience. However, according to the lecture by Mark Cohen, Gall's work can be considered an early form of brain mapping. Today, scientists use fMRIs to determine which parts of the brain are used during certain mental activities.

This is an example of a 19th century phrenological head.

Kanye West's stream of consciousness, according to creative artists at Column Five. 

The artist Suzanne Anker shows how neuroscience can be incorporated into modern art. In her projects MRI Butterfly and Butterfly in the Brain, she shows MRI images with an addition of a butterfly picture in the middle, creating beautiful artwork. Anker argues that the connections between art and science will continue to progress. “The molecular genetics revolution, advances in neuroscience, and sophisticated visualizing technologies...place the artist in a fertile mind-set for the 21st century. Science has spilled out of the laboratory and into our lives” (Goldsworthy).

Suzanne Anker's project MRI Butterfly.

Suzanne Anker's Butterfly in the Brain

Anker, Suzanne. "MRI Butterfly." YouTube. YouTube, 24 May 2011. Web. 12 May 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJlf5SB38pk>.

Cherry, Kendra. "Phrenology (Its History and Influence)." About Education. About.com, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/f/phrenology.htm>.

Cohen, Mark. "Lecture by Mark Cohen." Desma 9. Web. 12 May 2015. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=6472164>.

Devlin, Hannah. "What Is Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)?" Psych Central. Psych Central, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://psychcentral.com/lib/what-is-functional-magnetic-resonance-imaging-fmri/0001056>.

Goldsworthy, Rupert. "Spilling Out of the Laboratory: A Conversation with Suzanne Anker." The Online Magazine of Art and Ideas. Art Critical, 26 Apr. 2012. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.artcritical.com/2012/04/26/suzanne-anker/>.

Kihlstrom, John F. "Social-Cognitive Neuroscience." Foundations of Social Cognition. N.p., 3 Jan. 2009. Web. 12 May 2015. <https://bspace.berkeley.edu/access/content/group/2e4e4e6f-465d-4def-803e-d89a7a7e9cae/Lecture%20Supplements/SocNeuro/SocNeuro_supp.htm>.

Popova, Maria. "Inside the Mind of Kanye West: Typographic Phrenology." Brain Pickings RSS. Brain Pickings, n.d. Web. 12 May 2015. <http://www.brainpickings.org/2011/02/22/typographic-phrenology-of-kanye-west/>.

Vesna, Victoria. "Neurocience and Art Lectures." Desma 9. Web. 11 May 2015. <https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/346337/pages/unit-7-view?module_item_id=6472164>.