INTR 223(F) Image, Imaging and Imagining: The Brain and Visual Arts
The brain interprets the visual world and generates cognitive and emotional responses to what the eyes see. It is also responsible for creating visual objects.
This course first examines how we see and how our brains organize and perceive what we see. In that context, we will investigate how visual artists have
used or challenged perceptual cues in their work. We then will study Gestalt perceptual laws and illusions, and see how they have been used in works of art. We
will also consider the influence of "disturbed" brain function of artists on their
work (for example, autism, schizophrenia, and epilepsy). In the second unit, we
will discuss the history and use of neuroimaging (brain scans), and the questions
posed by Dumit's ethnography of neuroimagers, "Picturing Personhood," for
example, how neuroimages are used in public discussions of mental illness, violence, and addiction. We will also examine neuroimaging studies questioning
whether the brains of visual artists are lateralized or specialized differently from
non-artists. In the final unit, we will explore how visual artists are using brain
images in their artwork, and how they have portrayed brain syndromes and
mental states. The course will culminate with the development of an exhibit.
Format: discussion. Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short
papers, a midterm and a final project.
Prerequisite: Psychology 101 and Art 101-102. Enrollment limit: 16 (expected
16). Preference will be given to sophomores.
Satisfies one semester of the Division III requirement.