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.