Fifteen hundred years ago, in the region that is modern-day Syria, a scribe drew a scene depicting the crucifixion of Christ. Before or after he conjured the mountains, the cross and the executioners, he drew Jesus’ face turned to the right, his left cheek toward the viewer.
Fast-forward a thousand years to Europe and we find the German painter and politician Albrecht Altdorfer departing from convention by depicting the crucifixion of Christ on the shore of a river. When it came to Jesus’ face, however, Altdorfer was more conformist, painting his head turned to the right, left cheek towards the viewer.
In fact, when Lealani Acosta and her colleagues recently scoured the archives of the world’s art museums to inspect 550 images of Christ on the cross, they discovered that over 90 per cent portrayed Jesus with his head turned to the right, his left cheek towards the viewer.
What does this have to do with neuroscience? Acosta’s team believe this overwhelming bias is consistent with brain research suggesting that the left side of the face is more expressive of emotion. In 1988, for example, when a group led by Joan Borod had judges assess the intensity of emotion shown by right-handed men, the left cheek was consistently rated more expressive. The reason, these researchers surmised, is that the right brain hemisphere, which controls the left cheek, plays a dominant role in emotional expression.
The suggestion of Acosta and co is that the sixth-century scribe and Altdorfer, and all the hundreds of other artists through the centuries, have had an implicit understanding of the neuroscience of emotion. These painters noticed, perhaps subconsciously, that the expression of emotion is more intense via the left side of the face, and therefore they chose to depict Jesus with that side of his face on display.
By making Jesus' left-cheek prominent, crucifixion artists may have taken unknowing advantage of other facts from neuroscience too. With his head turned to the right, Jesus’ face will be processed mostly by the viewer’s right hemisphere – the side of the brain that is preferentially activated when interpreting emotion, especially negative emotion. There’s even research suggesting that turning the head to one side activates the brain hemisphere on the opposite side. “Since the left hemisphere mediates positive emotions and the right negative emotions, the rotation of Christ’s head during the crucifixion may have helped reduce his suffering,” write Acosta and her colleagues.
This study is just the latest example of how neuroscientific explanations are permeating into areas of inquiry traditionally considered the domain of the arts. Steve Pinker defended the principle of such incursions in an essay earlier this year. But what about the merits of this particular study? It's certainly intriguing to think that a pious sixth century scribe, and others like him, chose the brush strokes that would most effectively move the viewer's brain, not just in their day, but through the centuries. They reached then for God and today they touch our right brain hemispheres.
But that’s assuming the neuro-focused explanations are relevant. Acosta and her colleagues admit there are plenty of brain-free explanations for the biased orientation of Jesus’ cheek. For one thing, Mary is usually located to Jesus’ right, so maybe he is looking toward her. Or if Jesus is feeling abandoned by God, perhaps he is looking to the right, away from God (Jesus is usually described as being on God’s right-hand side). The saved are also depicted by convention on the right, so Jesus could be looking toward salvation. The number of speculations are almost endless.
One thing’s for sure. I know the next time I see the crucifixion in a church or art gallery, I will find it difficult to forget this investigation, and to wonder whether Jesus is shown looking to the right because the artist had an instinct for the neuroscience of emotion.
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Acosta, L. M. Y., Williamson, J. B., & Heilman, K. M. (2013). Which cheek did Jesus turn?. Religion, Brain & Behavior, 3, 210-218.
