Art your brain. (Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

Your brain might not know much about art, but it knows what it likes. In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Julie and I examine the neurological side of your trip to the art museum. What happens when we lose ourselves in Mona Lisa’s smile or the nightmare worlds of Hieronymus Bosch? And were artists truly the first neuroscientists? All this and more will be explored.

Plus, as promised, here’s a breakdown of the specific art and artists discussed in this podcast.

“War and Peace” by Irving Norman
See the amazing triptych is on display at San Francisco’s excellent de Young Gallery, but you can view the work here at the official Irving Norman webpage. I also highly recommend the book “Dark Metropolis.”

The paintings of Richard Serra
Primarily known as a sculptor (here’s a MoMA interactive about them), his paintings are also quite excellent. His painting “Baldwin” (see it here) is a great example of what I love about his work.

“El Jaleo” by John Singer Sargent
Julie mentions this evocative painting as one of her favorites. View it here at the JSS Virtual Gallery.

“Cloaca Professional” by Wim Delvoye
You’ve heard us talk about it before. You’ve sent us photos of it. Now read about it here at Delvoye’s website.

“Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci
You’ll need to travel to the Musée du Louvre in Paris to view the famous painting in question, but the website hosts a cool interactive feature on the painting titled “A Closer Look at the Mona Lisa.”

The paintings of Piet Mondrian
The Mondrian Trust is the best place online to view the man’s work.

Chola Sculptures
The ancient sculptures of Southern India. Learn more about them via UNESCO right here.

“The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli
Julie references this piece (see it here) and I immediately confuse the issue by mentioning the armless “Venus de Milo.”

“Dora Maar Seated” by Pablo Picasso
Come see multiple views of a woman’s face in one glance!

Philippe Halsman’s Salvador Dalí portrait “In Voluptas Mors”
You’ve seen it referenced on posters for “Silence of the Lambs” and “The Descent.” Now see it here (warning, contains nudity). Also, the California Academy of Science features some other cool examples in “Skulls in Culture.” It includes “Skull of Zurbarán,” one of my favorite Dali paintings.

“Guernica” by Pablo Picasso
The Spanish Civil War bombing of Guernica as seen through unrelated objects. PBS’ “Treasures of the World” has an excellent write-up on the piece right here.

“Work No 401″ by Martin Creed
The farting at the Tate Modern? Here’s a blog post on it. I didn’t make it up AT ALL.

Also, robotic artists? Here is what I wrote about that.

So there you have it! You can find the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast on iTunes, Zune and the RSS feed. And don’t forget the free HowStuffWorks App!

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