TUESDAY, MAY 21
6: 00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
INSTRUCTORS: Bettina Dickson Rusher & Chase Royer
Join us at Glynn Visual Arts for an evening of fascinating information as we explore the widely praised book by Eric R. Kandel, Neuroscientist and former Nobel laureate, called Reductionism In Art & Brain Science.
We will review as Kandel shows in his book how a radical reductionist approach, applied to the most complex puzzle of our time – the brain—has been employed by modern artists for years. The historically modern masters of Turner, Monet, Kandinsky, Schoenberg, and Mondrian created the first explorations into the abstract. They played a monumental role in the shift from figurative art into reductionism and abstraction as they distilled their subjective world into color, form, and light. The book also moves into the postwar era where Pollack, de Kooning, Rothko and others used a reductionists approach to arrive at their abstract expressionism and how Katz, Warhol, and others built upon the New York School to reimagine figurative and minimal art.
Intertwined is Science. Kandel demonstrates through various cognitive functions how science can explore the complexities of human perception and help us to perceive, appreciate, and understand great works of art. He also draws on his Nobel Prize-winning work revealing the neurobiological underpinnings of learning and memory in very simple beings, sea slugs, to shed light on the complex workings of the mental processing of higher animals. What others are saying: “The talk on Reductionism and brain science at GVA was truly fascinating. It opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on the workings of the brain. The intersection of neuroscience and creativity is an area I'm now eager to explore further. I left feeling inspired and curious, wanting to dive deeper into the latest advancements in brain science and how they relate to creativity,” Ella Cart, artist.
Presenters are Bettina Dickson Rusher, local abstract & realism 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 in London and he received his Master’s degree in Psychology of the Arts, Neuro-aesthetics & Creativity. He received his undergraduate BS degree in Neuroscience at Middlebury College in Vermont.
COST: $35 GVA Member / $40 Non-Member