Viewing art is good for us, but new research may now tell us why — and that therapeutic uses may be better than previously ...

When we view art, the flow of visual information goes from the eye to a part of the brain known as the visual cortex. That's where the visual information is first processed.

Researchers at Columbia’s Zuckerman Institute found that people’s brain activity varied more when viewing abstract art, as compared with representational art. This was especially true in the default ...

04/08/2025 April 8, 2025. Researchers studying people's brain activity when looking at abstract art have revealed why we interpret blobs of paint on canvas so differently.

Brain scans show that viewing abstract art elicits greater variability in brain activity, particularly within the default mode network, compared to representational art. This suggests that ...

How do we understand abstract art? Claudia Hammond: “At first glance the irregular shapes and geometric patterns of abstract art could appear difficult for the human brain to interpret.

See What Your Brain Does When You Look at Art ... a face or an abstract art painting, their brain’s pleasure centers light up and its visual sensory center is engaged more intensely,” says ...