PSYC 318
Image, Imaging, and Imagining: The Brain and Visual Arts Spring 2020
Division III
Cross-listed INTR 223
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 on artistic 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. The class will include field trips to local museums.