Welcome Rock Hill area art students

This blog was created to allow casual conversations about the artwork that you have created and the artists who have influenced you. This will be an excellent place for you to display your art images and share your reactions. We can also share information about upcoming art events.


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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Prosopagnosia-- face blindness

I'll let others explain how this topic relates to me teaching art class.  All I know is that I'm interested in the medical disorder Agnosia, Prosopagnosia in this situation.  My non-medical definition: Agnosia deals with the inability to recognize objects that the average person would be able to recognize.  The subtype of prosopagnosia deals with the inability to recognize a people's faces who would ordinarily be recognized.  
Several days ago, I saw the House episode "Adverse Effects" that highlighted this disorder for me.  The episode deals with a painter (played by Breckin Meyer, who starred in Road Trip) who unknowingly distorted a portrait of a commissioned piece.  
 


Just a while ago, I finished watching a PBS NewsHour special that had an interview with Chuck Close, the American photo-realist (arguable) painter/photographer.  While I knew that he was a paraplegic and suffered from a learning disability, I had no idea that he too suffered from prosopagnosia.  This seems to help explain his fascination with the characteristics of the face.
 
After looking it up, I also learned that Jane Goodall also has this disorder.   

2 comments:

  1. OH MY GOSH! The painting on the top is SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cool. I really love that. For some reason I am reminded of Kandinsky...

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  2. I really really like the first painting! WE definitely should do something like that this year........ eh eh? :D

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