Neuroscientist Greg Dunn decided to trade in his microscope to become a professional artist.
He still uses a microscope in his art though. Meta much? What gives! Greg is an interesting dude, and his brain art offers deep food for thought when it comes to interconnectivity and the fractal nature of the universe.
The patterns of branching neurons he saw through the microscope reminded him of the aesthetic principles in Sumi-e art, which he admires. Dunn realized neurons could be painted in this sumi-e (minimalist ink wash painting) style to wonderful effect.
The microscopic world belongs in the world of Asian art. There’s no distinction between painting a landscape of a forest and a landscape of the brain. – Greg Dunn
Enjoy his beautiful creations!
Sumi-e Style: Brain Art
Cortical Columns
It’s almost a zen quality to the branching pattern of a neuron that I was interested in capturing initially. – Greg Dunn
Basket and Pyramidals
Gold Cortex II
Cortical Circuitboard
Electron Micrograph of Micro-etching
Brainbow Hippocampus in Blue
The image above was inspired by the Brainbow process, a neuroscience technique for coloring neighboring neurons by combining colored fluorescent proteins.
Brainbow Hippocampus Variations
Glia and Blood Vessels
Glial Flare
Spinal Cord
Art has the power to capture people’s emotions and inspire awe [in a way] that a lot of charts and graphs don’t have. – Greg Dunn
> Dazzling Images of the Brain Created by Neuroscientist-Artist | Live Science