Northoff - Self-Referential Processing in Our Brain - Art - 18p - (2006)
The brain and the art
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Transcript of The brain and the art
THE BRAIN AND THE ART
Artists with Brain Damage
In recent years, neurologists have observed several intriguing cases of artists with progressive brain damage or dealing with the aftereffects of strokes.
•Behavior, intelligence, •Memory, Movement
•Behavior, Hearing•Memory, Speech, Vision
• Intelligence, Language• Reading, Sensation
• Vision
Cerebellum• Balance• Coordination
The RIGHT side of the Brain By using more the left
hemisphere, considered as rational, we do leave out the possibility of taking advantage of the benefits brought by the right hemisphere, such as creative imagination, serenity, global view, capacity of synthesis and ease of memorization, among others.
LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
Uses logic Uses feeling
Detail oriented Big picture oriented
Facts rule Imagination rules
Words and language Symbols and images
Present and past Present and future
Math and science Philosophy & religion
Can comprehend Can “get it”(i.e. meaning)
Knowing Believes
Acknowledges Appreciates
Order/pattern perception Spatial perception
Knows object name Knows object function
Reality based Fantasy based
Forms strategies Presents possibilities
Practical Impetuous
safe Risk taking
Sandy Allen She told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that before her surgery, she "couldn't even draw a stick figure." Now she might spent two hours a day creating art, focusing on collages
After she had a large tumor removed from her brain's left temporal lobe, she found herself struggling with words (language and communication). Reading became difficult. She couldn't follow plots or instructions. But the surgery had another, surprising effect: It seemingly “ACTIVATED" her right brain, spurring an intense interest in art.
Michelangelo Had Autism? Some European autism researchers
believe that famed Renaissance artist Michelangelo may have had Asperger's syndrome, a form of "high-functioning autism" (source: ABC Science Online).
• Many autistics have difficulty engaging with the world but find comfort in repeating certain tasks, such as drawing.
• With the existence of acquired savant syndrome, some scientists speculate that all humans have the potential for savant abilities but that savants are somehow able to harness them, likely owing to how their brains have been “rewired”
Savant Syndrome and Art
Stephen Wiltshire
As a child he was mute, and did not relate to other people. Aged three, he was diagnosed as autistic. He had no language and lived entirely in his own world.
An autistic savant nicknamed "the human camera," can paint uncannily detailed vistas from memory. He also has perfect pitch -- perhaps the only savant with extraordinary talents in two fields.
What are you thinking as this ball comes toward you?
In a savant's thinking:
• The focus is on hard data, rather than the general conclusions drawn from them.
• So instead of thinking about catching a ball, he/she might think about precise aspects of a ball's flight.
THANK YOU.