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| Body works exhibit |
Before this week's lesson, I hadn’t ever thought about the ways in which medicine, and our understanding of the human body along with modern medical technology, could interact with art. Yet thinking about the importance of the human body within art, it makes perfect sense. I was particularly struck by the discussion of anatomy in lecture, and how the Gray’s Anatomy has been such a huge influence on artists for so many years. The Body World exhibit and Visible Human Project are both examples of how new perspectives on the anatomy of the human body continue to fascinate and inspire us. The human body is in itself “a work of art”.
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| A standard MRI scanner |
Beyond anatomy, I also found it fascinating the way in which medical technology has influenced our understanding of the human body, and subsequently, the art we create. Yet even beyond the discoveries medical technology has created, there are also some interesting pieces of art inspired directly by, or even created using medical technology. Casini’s piece on the MRI offers a very interesting artistic view of Magnetic Resonance Imaging technology. In his own words, “Eventually, overwhelmed by MRI’s sound, I experienced both the rhythm of MRI and the creative possibilities that it holds.” This shows direct artistic inspiration drawn from medical machinery. I found another very interesting example online of art created using medical radiology and x-rays. Beyond there medical applications, these technologies offer new creative potential, and new ways to view ourselves and the world around us from a new creative lens.
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| Patterns can be found everywhere in nature |
I think the Ingber reading on the architecture of life interested me the most, as it really addressed the building blocks of all of nature rather than focusing on just the human body. While medical technology has taught us a lot about ourselves, I think it has also helped us understand more about the world we live in, and the universe that surrounds us.“That nature applies common assembly rules is implied by the recurrence—at scales from the molecular to the macroscopic—of certain patterns, such as spirals, pentagons and triangulated forms.” This is a truly fascinating notion. It not only presents an artistically inspiring idea, but also tells us about the building blocks of not only our own bodies, but the building blocks of everything that surrounds us.
References:
Brooks, Katherine. "12 Famous Drawings Reveal How Artists Interpret The Naked Human Body." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
Ingber, Donald E. "The Architecture of Life." Scientific American 278.1 (1998): 48-57. Web.
Moore, Wendy. "Exhibition Hopes to Give Gray’s Anatomy Artist His Proper Due." BMJ : British Medical Journal. BMJ Publishing Group Ltd., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"MRISafety.com - Info." MRISafety.com - Info. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
"Radiology Art: X-ray Art." Radiology Art: X-ray Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.
I was surprised as you were, Erik, when I first learned about the correlation between anatomy and art; art always seemed to be abstract art, and I never really made the connection. I was lucky enough to attend a body works exhibit in high school, and while it was grossly realistic – I suppose that's probably because it IS real, it brought about a new insight. Art doesn't have to be limited to paintings and drawings; it exists everywhere – in the body, in mathematics and even in nature itself, like Ingber's article. It stands to reason that, MRI is also, in its own right, art. Of course, it is used more for its medical purposes, but one cannot argue that the technology of the MRI is not without its own inherent beauty. I really enjoyed this week's article, Erik. I hope to read more!
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