Artistic Creativity: Learned or…Surgically inflicted?
One of the most oft-asked but rarely answered questions in art—and other fields—is where does creative genius come from? When one sees a da Vinci drawing or hears a Mozart sonata, one asks oneself, how did they do it? New York Times columnist David Brooks wrote an op-ed piece last month that bursts the bubble of anyone harboring romantic notions of some innate reserve of talent in geniuses, offering the pragmatist’s explanation that mere “deliberate, strenuous and boring” practice makes perfect.
But early this month, within two days of each other, two amazing stories hit the newsstands that undeniably tie artistic creativity to the nooks and crannies of our brain. 
Right here in the tri-state area, a brain tumor in a rather ordinary Jersey-based artist named Alison Silva transformed her into a creator of breath-taking ability. Although the tumor puts uncomfortable pressure on the left side of her brain, Silva opted not to have surgery, and instead blossomed into a stronger artist whose work interestingly is darker and more psychological than her pre-tumor art.
On the other side of the puddle, Alan Brown of the UK awoke from brain surgery as a modern day Michelangelo. Unlike Silva, the 49-year-old had never been an artist, and after suffering an aneurysm (for those other art historians scared by science terms, burst blood vessel) in his brain six years ago, he underwent a grueling 16 hour surgery. In his recovery process he discovered an uncanny artistic ability and an irrepressible new calling: he quit his previous business, just graduated from a fine arts program and is opening a gallery. His work can be seen in the London Daily Mail feature article about him.
So, maybe Leonardo had an optimally-located tumor we didn’t know about. I find the connection between the brain and artistic creativity as fascinating as it is mysterious. For the art enthusiasts willing to wade through neuropsychological jargon (yep, all 3 of you) you can read more about recent interesting studies into artistic creativity and the brain in an article by Fred Balzac in the Neuropsychiatry Review.
(Above image: Warrior of Mananz, by Alison Silva)
2 years ago | Tags: Artistic creativity genius Alison Silva Alan Brown creativity and the brain medicine and art
