Science, Art, Litt, Science based Art & Science Communication

Qs on art and my replies

Q: What is your favourite art work and why?

Krishna: Undoubtedly, it is "The Thinker". The Thinker (French: Le Penseur) is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal. The work shows a male figure of over life-size sitting on a rock with his chin resting on one hand as though deep in thought, and is often used as an image to represent philosophy.

Picture source: Google images

And why do I like this art work? Or why does anybody like any art work? Well, as a person of science I would like to put it in a scientific way. It has everything to do with neuro-aesthetics.

What is it? Neuroesthetics (or neuroaesthetics) is a relatively recent sub-discipline of empirical aesthetics. Empirical aesthetics takes a scientific approach to the study of aesthetic perceptions of art and music. Neuroesthetics received its formal definition in 2002 as the scientific study of the neural bases for the contemplation and creation of a work of art. Neuroesthetics uses neuroscience to explain and understand the aesthetic experiences at the neurological level.

While much of neuroaesthetics deals with the visual and perceptual processing of art, that's not where the field stops -- imaging studies are revealing a plethora of brain regions activated when we experience art. Not only are visual and perceptual processes involved, but also reward pathways and areas of the brain like the prefrontal cortex, which are involved in evaluative judgments. The prefrontal cortex's role in experiencing art isn't surprising -- it's involved in many aspects of higher-order cognition, like decision-making as well as planning and moderating complex behaviors. Regions of the prefrontal cortex have been implicated in both aesthetic judgments and the aesthetic emotional experience. Our response to art always has an element of appraisal that has to do not only with a work's visual properties, but also with the context it's presented in and our knowledge of its history. . Neuroaesthetics -- as evident from even its name -- often overlooks the fact that art does not have to be beautiful: context and history play a crucial role in our judgments.

I have a great AFFINITY towards intellect. It gives me a high. Whenever, I see ''The Thinker", it rewards my brain! Why? Because the work denotes intelligence, logic, critical thinking, philosophy, literature, science, art, poetry and several other things I am associated with! In a way I am familiar with this type of intellectual pursuits. I can relate to it in a big way!

Q: What are some evident mistakes in famous paintings?

Krishna: Famous or not there will be some unintended ‘mistakes’ in most paintings, sometimes created by illusions. I myself faced a similar illusion in one of my works.

DISMANTLING-THE-WALL-BETWEEN-THE-WORLD-OF-SCIENCE-AND-ORDINARY-WORLD

AS-80-DISMANTLING-THE-WALL-BETWEEN-THE-WORLD-OF-SCIENCE-AND-ORDINARY-WORLD

The left part of the wall and the right part of the wall start and end at the same height on the canvas. But the left part looks as if it is at a higher level! I noticed this illusion only after completing the work!

I wonder how the people in 22nd or 23rd centuries interpret my work! :)

Q:What makes art transcendental?

Krishna: That is a perception depending on your experiences.

Does art take you to a higher realm? Does it enhance your critical thinking and make you think it is the ultimate and you won’t find a more better view of things?

If your art answers all the Qs your mind poses to your satisfaction and shows the best way, you can treat art as transcendental.

Different people follow different routes for enlightenment. Although I am a polymath, my view is different from yours. Read here why :

Science and Spirituality

Q: Is artistic expression simply a metaphorical autobiography of a person's emotional life?

Krishna: Not necessarily. Different artists have different reasons to create art. For me , it is not!

I use art and literature to communicate science! To make science easy to understand.

Of course I create art on other themes too, mainly to tell others the new connections I made, meanings I found, to show things in different light.

KK ART FROM SCIENCE

Science-art-literature interplay

Q:When different galleries represent the same artist, how do they decide on the price of the work?

Krishna: Know what? I was shocked to learn from art gallery people that ‘an artist’s name’ counts a lot. What MF Hussain’s painting demands is not what an ordinary artist’s painting gets even if it is done in a better way.

It just is your perception what decides the price. Name, fame, pulls and pushes what count. Not reality. And there is a whole lot of difference between reality and perception in the art world. It is sort of pseudo hype.

So different galleries quoted different prices for the same work of mine. What made them decide on the price is anybody’s guess, because they don’t understand my work in the first place.

Mine is a rare ‘art work based on science and literature’. You won’t get much of that type of work anywhere in the world.

But I am unknown in the art world. So even if my work is rare, and extremely difficult to create ( connecting several fields - science, art, literature, religion, philosophy is not easy), I cannot demand what I want, according to art gallery people. Some told me they would ‘promote me’ if I pay money to them. Accept the rules or forget about selling.

I stopped visiting art galleries. I created my own gallery. And succeeded to some extent. I don’t trust art galleries anymore.

Anyway, I am a scientist and selling art is not first priority to me. I just use the money to promote my science communication and help the world, not for my personal use.

I sympathize with new artists and my heart goes out to people whose life depends on selling art. Some told me they do odd jobs to earn money and live. While a big name can command millions every time it goes to the market, small names can’t even eat enough food. That is the reality of the art world.

Completely opposite to what we see in the world of science. Cultural shock? Yes!

Q: Is it really very necessary to write understandable poetry?

Krishna: Yes, if you want people to enjoy what you have written or to make them think about it. What is the use of writing something if you are not able to communicate exactly what you are trying to say?

If you don’t want others to understand your poetry what is the purpose of writing it? You can just keep the words sealed forever in your head like some do!

Q: Why is art inferior to science?

Krishna: Inferior? Art is a part of science now.

Contrary to what people think and say, Science already has in built- what the artists call- 'aspects of art' - like creativity, observing, imagination, visualization, imaging, pattern recognition, pattern invention analogizing, dimensional thinking, transforming data into visual and graphic forms, converting theories into mechanical procedures etc. Scientists have been using all these things successfully since ages! What are science-illustrations, X-ray and MRI images, satellite images, PET- CT scans, angiograms ( processes that allow doctors to view the flow of blood in blood vessels ), 3-D mapping and 3-D printing (1)?

All scientists know that 'scientific visualization' is one of the important aspects of the field of science. The purpose of scientific visualization is to graphically illustrate scientific data to enable scientists to understand, illustrate, and glean insight from their data. Data visualization is the study of the visual representation of data, meaning "information that has been abstracted in some schematic form, including attributes or variables for the units of information". The main goal of data visualization is to communicate information clearly and effectively through graphical means. Scientists apply their taste in visual aesthetics to their visual displays of data as do artists, as in the case of a scientist who carefully selects colors or arranges forms used in his/her design of a chip or rendered image. These are aesthetic decisions, signs that the scientist is to some degree thinking as does a visual artist. Although untrained in the processes, many of the best scientists frequently work from visual geometric models in their minds, and identify research problems on the basis of these visual models or paradigms. From the paradigm, the analysis and experiment is derived. This ability to pre-visualize a potential solution to a problem and to build 3 or 4-D (3-D plus time) conceptual models is basic to their scientific process.

However, Science exists apart and independent of the human condition and humanities.

Without science, this universe wouldn’t have come into existence in the first place. Only when the universe ‘s originated with the help of the scientific principles, all the galaxies, stars, planets came into existence. Then life originated and then religion and art became part of human life.

For example, E=mc2 is an eternal condition and did not require the mind of man to understand it before it sprang into existence.

In contrast, the drafting of the Declaration of Independence required hundreds if not thousands of years of study into the human condition, and even some of the truths contained therein are still not self-evident. Art needs the effort of a human mind. Arts cannot exist without human beings and science is over and above human existence.

That is the importance of science.

References:

What scientists should be cautious about during the interactions wi...

Q:In many universities across US and Europe 'Art Science' stream has been introduced. What is the purpose of combining art and science? What do students explore in this course?

Krishna: The main purpose is communicating science through art. Making things easy for common people.

The importance of science communication through art

But some are making very tall claims that they can achieve several other things too. I myself countered this: Tall claims and failing proof of science-art interactions!

I have been working in multiple fields for the past several years but the only benefit I found ‘s making science communication easy and this is the only proven benefit of combining science and art. Any other claim has no evidence and can be considered as pseudo-scientific.

Q: Do scientists experience in understanding art , and why?

Krishna : I do create art, right in my science lab!

My evidence: http://www.kkartfromscience.com/home.html

Science-art-literature interplay

SO?!

Q: What should I do? I am good at science, fine art, and music and want to become a doctor and artist both. Is it possible?

Krishna: Yes, it is! there are several polymaths in history. There are several polymaths now. I am a living example of a person who deals with science, art , literature and several other fields.

But, you have to learn to deal with a highly messy mind, extreme hard work, silly mistakes at every step, ability to draw lines between them while dealing with different subjects and how to creatively connect one to the other to efficiently solve the problems. Then only you will succeed.

Otherwise you will just become a hobby pursuer and jack of all trades and master of none.

You will find some tips here: SCI-ART LAB

You will have to search the site to find helpful articles. This section might be helpful to you: Blogs

All the best

Q: I have personally sensed some sort of superiority among the science students. They believe they do all the hard work and students from humanties do nothing. Why this kind of mentality exist where one course is considered superior over the other?

Krishna: Okay, I understand your feelings.

I am a polymath. I am into research in both science and art, published papers in both the subjects and deal with several other subjects too.

I connect different subjects and use art and literature to communicate science.

I was asked to provide proof. Okay, here it is: WELCOME TO KK ART FROM SCIENCE

Sci-art-literature interactions

I didn’t do any courses in art or literature. My only qualifications are a Ph.D. in science (Microbiology to be more specific) and a Diploma in French.

But still I could do research in art and publish papers. I can create art with ease and write poems and stories with ease. But I can’t do research in any other science subject except Biology without help from others. Even other fields of science give me trouble while understanding at the highest level. Can you tell why?

Because science is so difficult! At the beginners’ level all subjects are easy to comprehend. At the top, it is extremely difficult to cross over into another arena without deep knowledge.

Can art students do research in science like I did research in art and publish papers? It is extremely difficult.

Several art students told me they cannot understand ‘science’ even when simplified ( I am also into science communication and deal with this problem day in and day out).

Whether you like it or not, or accept it or not, science is a difficult subject atleast at the higher levels.

I face several difficulties while dealing with research in science despite my training in the subject but never faced such difficulties while dealing with art despite no training. That is a fact.

Also your brain burns while dealing with science but dealing with art makes it relax. Several scientists say they relax while dealing with art, music, reading/writing stories etc.That is my personal experience and that of several others.

This might make science students think they are superior.

But I don’t think any subject is less superior or inferior. Only thing is science is highly complex and difficult and art is a little bit easy to comprehend.

Moreover, the strict scientific method makes you work extremely hard to achieve success in science. In art there are no such rules.

I worked with artists ( in collaborative projects) and they simply refuse to adhere to the rules of science because of this. They also refuse scientific method and asked me several times to waive it, which I couldn’t do. Several artists left in the middle unable to cope with these strict rules and methods of science. They argue endlessly, fight with you and say science is not flexible and stubborn, and scientists are … (I don’t want to repeat the words they used). They were so frustrated with science and scientists.

Also while dealing with science-art (or sci-art), artists most of the time got the themes wrong despite our explanations several times and they resorted to jokes, parody and other silly things that distorted the subject to cover it up.

Here is my proof: Shocking and funny 'science-art'

I can go on and on like this explaining why science students think science is a bit higher than art.

But you need not feel inferior because of this. Every subject has its own importance. If I were an art student I would also feel like you did if I couldn’t see the whole picture.

Try to understand things as they are and when you analyse the situation and realize the reality, you would just smile and say, ‘May be science students have a right to think they are dealing with more difficulties than I do and succeeding and therefore can have pride in their much harder work’.

Q: How do I paint a Holi painting?

Krishna: I already did that! I mean painted ‘a “Holi” work of art’.

Art is something that has to be done when you get a good inspiration and when you think you can show things differently.

But yes, a painting can be done in anyway you want.

If you are not getting any inspiration, if you don’t even know how to paint something, if you want to borrow ideas and techniques from others, how can that be your work?

It becomes a ‘copy’.

Yes, some copy from photos and others’ pictures!

So first do a painting only when you are inspired enough to get your own ideas and ways of doing an art work. They will stay for a long time.

Or you can copy like many do.

These paintings come and go. Like tons of dust blowing in the wind.

The choice is yours!