TUESDAY, MARCH 26
6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
INSTRUCTORS: Bettina Dickson Rusher & Chase Royer
COST: $35 GVA Member / $45 Non-Member
Are Art and Science separated by an unbridgeable divide?
Can they find common ground?
Join us at Glynn Visual Arts for an evening of fascinating information as we explore the widely praised book, Reductionism in Art and Brain Science, by Dr. Eric R. Kandel, Neuroscientist and former Nobel laureate.
We will review, as Kandel shows in his book, how a radically reductionists approach, applied to the most complex puzzle of our time – the brain—has been employed by modern artists for years. The historically modern masters, including Turner, Monet, Kandinsky, Schoenberg, and Mondrian, were pioneers in the exploration of abstraction. They played a monumental role in the transition from figurative to abstract art by distilling their subjective worlds into color, form, and light. Kandel continues by delving into the reductionism employed by postwar-era artists such as Pollock, de Kooning, and Rothko, who embraced abstract expressionism. Furthermore, he examines how artists like Katz, Warhol, and others built upon the foundation laid by the New York School, reimagining figurative and minimal art in innovative ways.
Intertwined with the discussion of abstract art, is the Science. Kandel demonstrates how modern neuroscience explores the complexities of human perception through various cognitive functions. This not only helps us perceive, appreciate, and understand great works of art but also sheds light on the intricate mental and physical processes underlying our interactions with them. Dr. Kandel draws upon his Nobel Prize-winning research, which uncovered the neurobiological foundations of learning and memory in seemingly simplistic organisms, sea slugs, to offer insight into our own subjective experiences while viewing abstract art.
Presenters are Bettina Dickson Rusher, local abstract expressionist painter and Chase Royer, Neuroscientist. Bettina holds a BA from Eastern Kentucky University and has worked in the field of architecture and design for over 30 years while creating her art as a professional painter. Chase is a recent graduate of Goldsmith’s, University of London where he received his master's degree in psychology of the Arts, Neuroaesthetics & Creativity. He received his undergraduate BS degree in Neuroscience at Middlebury College in Vermont.
COST: $35 GVA Member / $45 Non-Member