Dazzling Images of the Brain Created by Neuroscientist-Artist

Image of Spinal Cord

Reposted by request… -AK

http://www.livescience.com/49060-brain-artwork-gallery.html?adbid=10152441902506761&adbpl=fb&adbpr=30478646760&cmpid=514627_20141220_37143607

Dazzling Images of the Brain Created by Neuroscientist-Artist
by Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer | December 10, 2014 10:20am ET

The brain has been called the most complex structure in the universe, but it may also be the most beautiful. One artist's work captures both the aesthetics and sophistication of this most enigmatic organ.

Greg Dunn earned a PhD in neuroscience before deciding to become a professional artist. “I had been a scientist in my previous life,” Dunn said.

The patterns of branching neurons he saw through the microscope reminded him of the aesthetic principles in Asian art, which he had always admired. Dunn realized that neurons could be painted in the sumi-e (ink wash painting) style, which involves making as few brush strokes as possible to capture the soul of the subject. [Research as Art: A Gallery of Scientific Beauty]

“The microscopic world belongs in the world of Asian art,” Dunn said. “There's no distinction between painting a landscape of a forest and a landscape of the brain.” Here are a few of his dazzling creations.

Cortical Columns (21K, 18K and 12K gold, ink, dye, and mica on aluminized panel)

Dunn's early work involved very minimalist compositions. He uses microscope images to inspire him, but he paints all the neurons himself.

“It's almost a zen quality to the branching pattern of a neuron that I was interested in capturing initially,” he said. (Credit: Greg Dunn)

Basket and Pyramidals (Ink on 22K gold)

Dunn developed a process that involves blowing ink around on non-absorbent paper. The shape of the paper and the turbulence in the air cause the ink to splatter in a way that perfectly captures the treelike tangles of a neuron. (Credit: Greg Dunn)

Gold Cortex II (Ink on 22K gold)