INTR 223(S) 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." How are neuroimages used in public discussions of mental illness, violence, and addiction? And are the brains of visual artists 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: seminar. Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short papers, a midterm and a final project.
Prerequisites: Psychology 101 and Art 101-102. Enrollment limit: 12 (expected: 12). Preference will be given to Neuroscience concentrators.
Satisfies one semester of Division III requirement.
Hour: ZIMMERBERG