Bibliography
Baum, Arline, and Joseph Baum. Opt: An Illusionary Tale (Picture Puffins). New York City: Puffin, 1989.
This is a children's book that introduces several basic illusions. There is not much of a plot but it is a great way to introduce optical illusions. There is a basic explanation of each illusion in the back of the book. The book has been made into a "Reading Rainbow" video.
Cooper, Sharon Katz. How To Fool Your Eyes Leap Through Logic Tease Your Brain and Other Ways to Survive Puzzles. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2004.
This book, geared for students, is filled with activities such as puzzles, optical illusions and other brainteasers.
Gregory, Richard L.. Eye and Brain. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997.
This is a classical text on vision and perception. While it is very scientific, it comes at the topic more from perception than neurology but is interesting and valuable.
Hoffman, Donald D.. Visual Intelligence: How We Create What We See. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1998.
This is a fantastic book that I highly recommend to an art teacher. It delves into "rules" that the brain has that deal with how the brain perceives things that are seen.
Illusionworks. Amazing Optical Illusions. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2004.
This children's book shows many classical illusions done in a more contemporary way. It is visually engaging and has simple explanations.
Jennings, Terry. 101 Amazing Optical Illusions: Fantastic Visual Tricks. New York: Sterling, 1998.
This contains a variety of illusions that students or teachers can create or replicate, including afterimages, impossible objects and stroboscopes.
Jensen, Eric(Author). Arts with the Brain in Mind [ARTS W/THE BRAIN IN MIND —OS]. Alexandria, VA: Association For Supervision & Curriculum Deve, 2001.
While this doesn't really focus on how the brain perceives art, it does focus on why the arts are so important in brain development of students. It is a wonderful advocacy tools that all arts teachers should have.
Livingstone, Margaret. "What Art Can Tell Us about the Brain." The New York Academy of Sciences. http://www.nyas.org/brainart (accessed July 7, 2009).
This website has the lectures given by a variety of people, neuroscientists, psychologists, and artists, at a conference on the brain and art. If one is interested in learning more about different aspects of the relationship between the brain and art, this would be a good starting place.
Livingstone, Margaret S. Vision and Art: The Biology of Seeing. New York: Abrams, 2008.
This is the book that I use as the basis of my unit. If I could only recommend one book, this would be it. It explains the science in a very clear, understandable manner.
Livingstone, Margaret. "What Art Can Tell Us about the Brain." From Mirror Neurons to the Mona Lisa: Visual Art and the Brain, New York Academy of Sciences, New York, New York, March 22, 2006.
Luckiesh, M. Visual Illusions: Their Causes, Characteristics & Applications. New York: Dover, 1965.
It is a wonderful resource that discusses broad categories and specific examples with very complete explanations
Parker, Steve. Brain, Nerves, and Senses (Understanding the Human Body). Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2004.
Focusing on very basic information on the brain, nerves, and the five senses, this children's book is not focused much on vision but is a good general resource for the classroom.
Seckel, Al. Masters of Deception: Escher, Dali & the Artists of Optical Illusion. New York: Sterling, 2007.
This is wonderful book of optical illusions in art. While weak on information, it is a fantastic source of images to use in your classroom.
Seckel, Al. The Great Book of Optical Illusions. Toronto: Firefly Books, 2005.
This title is filled with over 250 optical illusions, most in color. It is a wonderful book to share with students but it does not explain the illusions.
Solso, Robert L.. Cognition and the Visual Arts. London: The Mit Press, 1996.
Another wonderful book, this is about how we perceive, process and store visual information in relationship to art. It is another book that I highly recommend.
Sturgis, Alexander. Optical Illusions In Art: Or—-Discover How Paintings Aren't Always What They Seem to Be. New York: Sterling, 1996.
Focusing on art, this book shows illusions in art. It shows opt art, optical illusions, trompe l'oeil, perspective images and several other types. It is a great resource for an art classroom.
Sutcliffe, Jennifer. "the science of art | seeing in the brain." Emory University | College of Arts and Sciences | Welcome!. http://www.college.emory.edu/hybridvigor/brain.htm (accessed July 7, 2009).
This a short, three pages, article that summarizes Margaret Livingstone's work on the "what" and "where" system.
"The Official M.C. Escher Website." The Official M.C. Escher Website. http://www.mcescher.com (accessed July 12, 2009).
This is an amazing website with a great deal of information on M.C. Escher. The best part is the 3D multimedia section that "flies" a viewer around three of his works.
Tytla, Milan. You Won't Believe Your Eyes!. Toronto: Annick Press, 1992.
Geared for children and/or teachers, it provides many projects and activities to do related to vision, including optical illusions, making a paper maiche eyeball, making a prism, etc. It would be a worthwhile addition to a classroom.
Unruh, J. Timothy. Impossible Objects: Amazing Optical Illusions to Confound & Astound. New York: Sterling, 2002.
This has a large number of black and white impossible objects with very basic explanations on how they were created.
Westray, Kathleen. Picture Puzzler. Cookery: Houghton Mifflin Books For Children, 1994.
This children's book introduces classic illusions that are explained in a child friendly way, albeit very simply.
Zeki, Semir. Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain. New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 2000.
This is a wonderful, fascinating book on how the brain perceives art. While perhaps parts of it is a little too scientific, it is written in a way that even a layperson can understand.
Art and the Brain (Journal of Consciousness Studies: Controversies in Science & the Humanities). Charlottesvile: Imprint Academic, 1999.
An interesting collection of article and responses, this book has 4 main articles and then responses to each. While it is rather scientific, it is very interesting. There is a part 2 and part 3.
Sunday in the Park with George. DVD. Directed by Terry Hughes. 1986; Hollywood: Image Entertainment.
This wonderful film version of the Broadway play depicts Georges Seurat during the time when he was working on the painting, Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte. While the second act is entertaining, I would not show it to the students. The first act is truly outstanding and a wonderful way to introduce Seurat to students.
The Fantastic World of M. C. Escher. DVD. Directed by Michele Emmer. 2006; Silver Spring, MD: Acorn Media.
This 50—minute video introduces the life of M.C. Escher and some of his work. While perhaps not the most engaging film, shown in segments it would be valuable for students to see.
The Private Life of a Masterpiece: Impressionism and Post Impressionism. DVD. Directed by Jeremy Bugler. 2003; n/a: Bbc Warner.
This is a wonderful series that look at individual art images in depth. A teacher will want to preview what is shown to students because there may be some images or information that might not be suitable for certain age groups or populations.
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