Week 7: Neuroscience + Art

The brain is a complex subject that often times would not be so easily associated with art. Neuroscience in general has provided the world with a greater understanding of the consciousness and memory which in turn has had an undeniable influence on even art as a culture. It all started with Franz Joseph Gall's concept of phrenology in which an individual's skull shape was used to determine one's characteristics and intellect. Though extremely flawed in hindsight, this ideology and thinking provided an important foundation for further advancements in the field of neuroscience.

Walt Whitman, America's Phrenologist - JSTOR Daily
Skull Diagram for Phrenology

With regards to art, many scientists involved like Santiago Ramon y Cajal not only contributed to the understanding of the structure of the nervous system but also understood the profound connection between neuroscience and art. Cajal produced groundbreaking drawings of the human nervous and brain that are still even used in textbooks today. Thus, art in the context of neuroscience can be a great educational tool for current and even future generations.

The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramón y Cajal - Ackland Art Museum
"Beautiful Brain" by Cajal

Moreover the intersection between art and neuroscience is demonstrated through the technique known as "Brianbow." With this technique, individual neurons in the brain can be distinguished from neighboring neurons using fluorescent proteins. This in turn allows scientists to specific proteins more efficiently especially because the technique allows more than 100 different neurons to be mapped simultaneously. Therefore, it is clear that art provides meaningful use cases in the field of neuroscience and the connection between the two cultures has resulted in everlasting contributions that will continue to benefit generations to come.

Brainbow: Cell Press
Brainbow


Images:

Wills, Matthew. "Walt Whitman, America's Phrenologist." 31 May 2019, https://daily.jstor.org/walt-whitman-americas-phrenologist/. 

“Nobel Prize Winner Cajal's Drawings Show 'Beautiful Brain'.” The Well, 10 July 2019, https://thewell.unc.edu/2019/01/30/nobel-prize-winner-cajals-drawings-show-beautiful-brain/. 

Weissman, Tamily. “Cell Picture Show.” Call Press, https://www.cell.com/pictureshow/brainbow. 


Sources:

Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious/Memory, Part 1.” DESMA9. DESMA9, 12 May 2022, Los Angeles, UCLA.

Vesna, Victoria. “Conscious/Memory, Part 2.” DESMA9. DESMA9, 12 May 2022, Los Angeles, UCLA. 
 
Ink, Social. “The Beautiful Brain: The Drawings of Santiago Ramón y Cajal.” Grey Art Gallery, 23 Aug. 2018, https://greyartgallery.nyu.edu/exhibition/beautiful-brainthe-drawings-santiago-ramon-y-cajal/. 

Blaszczyk, Connie. “3Q: The Interface between Art and Neuroscience.” MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 16 Apr. 2019, https://news.mit.edu/2019/3-questions-sarah-schwettmann-interface-between-art-and-neuroscience-0416. 

“Brainbow.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Dec. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainbow. 

Comments

  1. Elizabeth ClemMay 13, 2022 at 9:43 PM

    Hi Jonathan! Great post! I love how you clearly showed the specific connections between art and science with what we learned in lecture. I think this clear delineation is important. I also appreciate how you mentioned that art is a great learning tool. I never really thought about it that way, but it is definitely true, especially for those who are more visual learners.

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