However, being both a science geek and an art lover, nothing gives me more pleasure than reading about how these two fields are intertwined, how they can influence and benefit each other and also, how art may improve our physical and mental health.

In the book “Your Brain on Art” by Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross the authors explore the latter. They write about neuroaesthetics, i.e. how our brains respond to aesthetic and artistic experiences, and for example how art can reduce our levels of cortisol, lower pain, enhance cognitive abilities, and reduce anxiety.

Besides the health benefits of art, it can also be of benefit to science. Art can provide a better understanding of complex mechanisms in our bodies, create more impactful scientific messages, and enable scientists to reach out further to the public with their work.

Drawing of Purkinje cells (A) and granule cells (B) from pigeon cerebellum by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, 1899. Instituto Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain

My first experience of this kind of impact was Santiago Ramón y Cajal’s famous drawings. The Spanish neuroscientist, pathologist, and histologist (1852-1934) was able to drastically increase the understanding of the brain and also capture the beauty of it with his detailed drawings of the nervous system. His paintings are a great example of how science could be, and still is, made more interesting and approachable to the public. There are also many examples of how science can influence and enrich art. Back in the days, Leonardo da Vinci used linear perspective to give the impression that Mona Lisa sits in front of a vast landscape, and the famous Dutch golden-age artists used different optical devices.

Modern pop-artist David Hockney has been inspired by both the Dutch masters and the French mathematician and physicist Jules Antoine Lissajous, who studied harmonic motion. A modern Nordic example is Olafur Eliasson, known for his large-scale installations that blur the boundaries between art, science, and nature.

A modern Nordic example is Olafur Eliasson, known for his large-scale installations that blur the boundaries between art, science, and nature.

So, if you are a life scientist aiming to reach out to the public or to investors with your product or your findings, why not try to explore how you can highlight it by using metaphors, fascinating examples or beautiful and eye-catching images, while of course remaining factual and accurate. Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of art is that it can take your breath away. Just as great science can do.

About the Author

Malin Otmani, M.Sc., is Editor of Nordic Life Science. This column was originally published in NLS magazine No 03 2024, out September 2024.