PSYC 318
Image, Imaging, and Imagining: The Brain and Visual Arts Spring 2010
Division III
Cross-listed INTR 223 / NSCI 318
This is not the current course catalog

This course will study the intersections of neuroscience and art. The brain interprets the visual world and generates cognitive and emotional responses to what the eyes see. It is also responsible for creating mental images and then directing the artist’s motor output. We will first examine the neural mechanisms of how we perceive what we see. We will investigate how visual artists have used or challenged perceptual cues in their work. Understanding how the brain perceives faces will be used to analyze portraiture. We will consider the influence of neurological and psychological disorders of artists on their work. We will examine neuroimaging studies questioning whether the brains of visual artists are specialized differently from non-artists. Finally, we will explore how contemporary artists are using brain images in their artwork, and how “outsider” artists have portrayed brain syndromes and mental states. Students will design and conduct a research project in visual neuroscience. The class will include field trips to museums and galleries, and participation in programming centered on a WCMA exhibit on this topic. Students will have an opportunity to create their own artwork in response to these topics, culminating in a class exhibit.