Neuropsychology of Art: Neurological, Cognitive and Evolutionary Perspectives (Brain, Behaviour and Cognition) [Hardcover]

Dahlia Zaidel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1841693634 | ISBN-13: 978-1841693637 | Publication Date: December 22, 2005

The significance of art in human existence has long been a source of puzzlement, fascination, and mystery. In Neuropsychology of Art, Dahlia W. Zaidel explores the brain regions and neuronal systems that support artistic creativity, talent, and appreciation.
Both the visual and musical arts are discussed against a neurological background. Evidence from the latest relevant brain research is presented and critically examined in an attempt to clarify the brain-art relationship, language processing and visuo-spatial perception. The consequences of perceptual problems in famous artists, along with data from autistic savants and established artists with brain damage as a result of unilateral stroke, dementia, or other neurological conditions, are brought into consideration and the effects of damage to specific regions of the brain explored. A major compilation of rare cases of artists with brain damage is provided and the cognitive abilities required for the neuropsychology of art reviewed.
This book draws on interdisciplinary principles from the biology of art, brain evolution, anthropology, and the cinema through to the question of beauty, language, perception, and hemispheric specialization. It will be of interest to advanced students in neuro-psychology, neuroscience and neurology, to clinicians and all researchers and scholars interested in the workings of the human brain.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'I recommend this book, particularly for its digestible lessons and interesting examples, to anyone who is filled with innovative ideas and curiosity.' - Liz Franz, in The Lancet Neurology, April 2006

'The diverse material and clarity of writing makes Neuropsychology of Art of interest to all scientists and scholars as well as a useful and fascinating source on important current developments in the field of brain and art.' - Dr. N.M.J. Edelstyn, Keele University, in The Psychologist, October 2006

'The book's written style is clear and scholarly, the scope is remarkably broad, and altogether makes for an interesting read. ... To the best of my knowledge, no other book on the topic coalesces so many of the reported neurologic data on visual and musical artists, and provides interpretation of their deficits together with explanations of the role of the cerebral structures damaged in creativity and aesthetics. There is a  rich tapestry of ideas not previously combined in scholarly writings on art and the brain.' - Laura Piccardi, La Sapienza, University of Rome, in Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology, September 2006

About the Author

Dahlia Zaidel is Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Member of the Brain Research Institute of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 261 pages
• Publisher: Psychology Press (December 22, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841693634
• ISBN-13: 978-1841693637
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #671,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A list, not a synthesis, April 3, 2007

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Reader (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Neuropsychology of Art: Neurological, Cognitive and Evolutionary Perspectives (Brain, Behaviour and Cognition) (Hardcover)

Intrigued by the promise of its title, I zipped over to my local university library as soon as this book came in. Alas, this is not only the last word on the topic, it is not even an adequate summary of recent work.

The author is a neuroscientist herself, but the usual penetrating and synthesizing insight of such specialists seems lacking here. In her chapters on musical art and brain damage, I miss the central focus of this kind of study: the scientist learns about brain function from those who have lost a specific piece of it. Zaidel refers to some interesting studies and historical anecdotes (musicians who sustained this or that kind of brain damage), but I the reader do not learn what I want to from the discussions. I learn details, but the stories and studies do not cumulate in a big picture. Of course modern brain research is still developing, yet other researchers give me more of a sense that they can intuit a big picture beyond what they can clearly see.

Also in the music section, Zaidel's end-of-section paragraph of summary does not include major insights derived from Isabelle Peretz, one of the foremost neuroscientists of music, though Zaidel cites a couple of Peretz' publications in her bibliographies. Peretz gives a significantly better explanation of currently understood brain processing of musical phenomena than Zaidel does, but you wouldn't know from this book. It's not a bad book, just not a great one.