Beauty and the Brain

About this episode

<p>Dr Tiffany Jenkins asks what our brains can tell us about art. Can there ever be a recipe for beauty? Or are the great works beyond the powers of neuroscience? </p><p>She talks to Professor Semir Zeki of University College London, the first person to coin the term, neuroaesthetics, about what happens in the brain when people in a scanner see paintings or hear music. </p><p>Professor Gabi Starr at New York University tells Tiffany Jenkins why she thinks there are parts of the brain that light up when we like an art work. </p><p>Tiffany visits Christie's auction house to explore whether the best art always commands the best prices.</p><p>She also talks to Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor of Art History at Oxford University, about our different responses to authentic paintings and to fakes. </p><p>And Tiffany discusses with art critic JJ Charlesworth why neuroscience is having an influence in some areas of art appreciation.</p><p>Picture: The reflection of trees in water, Credit: Getty</p>