The body as an object of medical research: Athens

Immediate searches through the contents of Athens was found to be particularly dry, however looking into more depth there were a couple of interesting articles to be read.

Particular articles include:

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790e12b3db362ecdcfda98a1d29d69c0a4f6ddc098d29ffd7b19375574f260ec0730&fmt=P

Lee, C. Observing the body. Irish Arts Review (Dublin, Ireland) v. 27 no. 3 (Autumn 2010) p. 102-5

(You will have to log onto Athens to view these pages)

Observing the body begins to explore the comparisons between anatomists and artists. The article explains that:

 ‘Artists create, anatomists dissect. We anatomise or cut open and separate the parts of the body in order to understand its structure. Yet both artists and anatomists see and observe, both professions require manual dexterity and the histories of both are closely intertwined.’

Thinking about these points, I see that in the same sense an anatomist will study the body in detail, dissecting and observing; artists will observe and dissect a subject to visually represent it, in some cases, this may be the body. The article goes on to say that artists had actually started to begin studying the anatomy for medical purposes, having lessons on anatomical drawings in theatres.

The Osteology Lesson of Dr Sebastiaen Egbertsz, painted by Thomas de Keyser in 1619

Another relevant article is:

http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790e12b3db362ecdcfda98a1d29d69c0a4f68a69ffa49366baad0cff61169867bb24&fmt=P

Parks, J. A. Real World Anatomy: Andrew Gerndt at the School of Visual Arts. American Artist Drawing v. 7 no. 25 (Spring 2010) p. 78-85

Skeleton, Finished

Drawing

by Jeff Aritonucci,

graphite. 30 x 40.

Real world anatomy talks about a class at the school of visual arts, taken by Andrew Gernt. The article explains the process of learning to draw the human anatomy, starting with the skeleton and working up to a live model. I find this particularly interesting because it shows how the use of art in medicine has advanced in a way in which we can collectively learn the skills to become a part of this subject; therefore creating new job areas in medicine for the artistic. Using the body as a subject to medical research is now widely recognised and used in various mediums such as drawing, painting and photography.

It seems important to respond to this research with my own personal experience, since I believe I can relate to this subject. I experienced a week at work with a medical artist, researching and studying the human form and skeleton. I found the amount of attention to detail needed in this area to be quite daunting; however I gained a good amount of experience.