Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

The use of drugs as a means for artists to expand their minds is a controversial topic, but an important one to discuss. Often, drugs can challenge the user to view the world in a completely new way and can be used as a catalyst for inspiration and ingenuity. After learning this week of how drugs and art have intersected, I immediately thought of the artist Bryan Lewis Saunders. Saunders is an artist who became famous for drawing self portraits while on a variety of different drugs.

Saunders' self-portraits
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His self-experiment and the results are not only important for the art world, but for the scientific world as well. They give the viewer insight into what the user is experiencing while on these drugs and the effects they have on the mind. They also cause one to ask such questions as: what is perception? What is consciousness? What are hallucinations, and do drugs break down the barrier between unconscious and conscious thought?

Diagram of the weight of the conscious vs. unconscious mind
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These are important questions, as the diagram to the right illustrates, based off of the theories of Freud and Jung, the unconscious mind composes a significant part of our minds. Perhaps drugs unleash this unconsciousness, and as illustrated by the artwork of Saunders, allow one to tap into the hidden creative energies of the unconscious mind.

Image illustrating the weight of the unconscious vs conscious mind in the human brain
<http://www.curezone.org/upload/_T_Forums/turiya_file/conscious_subconscious_unconscious1_longated.png>

Though condoning drugs for the purposes of 'mind expansion' and 'artistic expression' is a slippery slope, in moderation, I believe that in can produce incredible results for both artists and scientists.

References:

Vesna, Victoria. "Neuroscience and Art." UCLA. Los Angeles, CA. 30 Apr 2016. Web. 10 May 2016.

Saunders, Bryan Lewish. "Under the Influence."Bryanlewissaunders.org. N.p., 2008. Web. 10 May 2016. <http%3A%2F%2Fbryanlewissaunders.org%2Fdrugs%2F>.

Freud, Sigmund, and James Strachey. The Ego and the Id. New York: Norton, 1962. Print.

Jung, C. G., and Mrs Beatrice Moses Hinkle. Psychology of the Unconscious; a Study of the Transformations and Symbolisms of the Libido, a Contribution to the History of the Evolution of Thought. New York: Moffat, Yard, 1916. Print.

Korte, Travis. "The Influence of Drugs in Art History." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 20 Apr. 2011. Web. 11 May 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/20/the-influence-of-drugs-in_n_851643.html>.