'When I think about Rembrandt, I think of Rembrandt as dramatic. There's a drama. An emotional something's going on; the dark colors; a three-dimensional pull into it. And that three-dimensional pull, pulls me as a person into what is going on. And I have an emotional response to being in that scene—whatever it is. So there's something about Rembrandt that is guttural; you know? I don't just look at Rembrandt and say, oh, isn't that interesting. I dive into a Rembrandt.'
—Jill Bolte Taylor
For the 19th episode of 'Dutch Art & Design Today', I sat down with Jill Bolte Taylor—an author, scientist, and speaker whose groundbreaking work has left an profound mark on how we understand the human brain, and ourselves. Jill is best known for her 2008 TED Talk, 'My Stroke of Insight', where she recounted her experience of surviving a life-threatening stroke in 1996 and her subsequent eight-year recovery. That talk, viewed by over 30 million people, catapulted her into the global spotlight and laid the foundation for her most recent book, Whole Brain Living: The Anatomy of Choice and the Four Characters That Drive Our Life (2021). Jill and I explore art through the lens of Whole Brain Living (WBL), discussing how her cellular anatomical framework can enrich the way we create, think about and interpret, and experience art—in all its forms. Jill's framework explores the brain’s four distinct 'characters'—left-brain thinking and feeling, and right-brain thinking and feeling. The 'we' inside of 'me'.
Jill explains how these characters shape our emotions, thoughts, and interactions, providing a practical guide for cultivating balance and harmony within ourselves. What makes this conversation unique, however, is that our focus on how these insights apply to the world of art. From the analytical precision of 'Character 1' to the raw, present-moment engagement of Character 3, and the universal connection offered by Character 4, Jill reveals how art involves a holistic brain experience. We touch on iconic Dutch artists such as Rembrandt and Frans Hals, as well as the sensory and emotional power of museums, illustrating how WBL can deepen our connection to creativity, and ourselves, and art.
WBL is most often used as a tool for personal growth, or having better relationship; and it’s a life philosophy that has transformed how I see and experience the world. By applying Jill’s framework to art, we turn it into a powerful lens for appreciating art as full-bodied, whole-brain experience. As the art historian Esther Pasztory once said, while we all think we understand art, but true essence often eludes us. With Jill’s insights, we move closer to unraveling its mysteries; intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. This conversation also ventures into philosophy, drawing parallels between Jill’s work and thinkers like Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty—the last of whom emphasized the embodied nature of human experience. WBL applied to art, bridges intellectual and emotional experiences of life, offering a way to connect with ourselves and the (art) world around us. And of course, we also discuss Van Gogh, Hals, and Rembrandt.
Watch 2008's 'My Stroke of Insight'
Watch Jill's talk on the teenage brain
Purchase the book Whole Brain Living
Watch an interview with Jill about WBL
You can find John on X @johnbezold and at his website johnbezold.com.
'Dutch Art & Design Today' is published by Semicolon-Press.
ISSN: 3050-6662
