Brenda Hoddinott
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Posted Aug.10th, 2013, viewed 25 times
Hi Mechtonia!
Thank you for your question!
One of the most innovative and popular drawing books of all time, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain (1979, 1989, 1999), was written by Dr. Betty Edwards. The book’s theories, techniques, and exercises for teaching students how to draw have greatly influenced pop culture’s perception of the right/left brain dichotomy.
To some extent, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was based on what was ground-breaking research during the 1960s and 1970s.
Today, modern research disputes many of the right/left hemispheric theories presented before 1995. Over the last two decades, functional similarities and differences between the two hemispheres of the brain have been extensively researched, and studies show that both brain hemispheres interact in complex ways during activities such as drawing.
Neural responses in both the left and right hemispheres have been noted during virtually every task associated with drawing – from the initial conception of an idea through to the execution of the final work.
In addition, both hemispheres are active during the early stages of the most important aspect of drawing: visual processing. This bilateral processing produces a far more accurate exchange of visual information than either the left or right hemisphere alone.
In fact, almost all brain functions are bilateral to some degree. Even lateral functions often involve some neural activity on the opposite side of the brain.
By the way, Dr. Edwards updated her wonderful book in its most recent edition (1999). Well worth reading! :o)
Brenda Hoddinott
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