Week 4: MedScience & Art


Artists, past and present, have always been interested in and have used the human body as a muse. Beginning with dissections, artists have been helping scientists for centuries by drawing diagrams and detailed sketches of the human body. In the lecture, Professor Vesna speaks about Gray’s Anatomy, a book of human anatomy for surgical procedures. This book was originally intended for scientists and doctors but has ended up in almost every artist’s arsenal who uses the human body as their inspiration (Vesna). 



In this week’s lectures, I found the section on plastic surgery most interesting and influential. I have a plastic surgeon in my extended family and have seen some of the clients of my family member usually rich women who want to get botox but learning the origins of this job I realize it is so much more than my initial perspective. The use of plastic does not mean fake but it actually derives from a word meaning mold and originally was used to reconstruct the faces and bodies of soldiers. Orlan is a perfect example of the mixing of both the medical field and art as she uses her body for artistic expression. Orlan has underdone nine different surgical procedures and has chosen specific features from women in art, for example having the Mona Lisa’s forehead. By using these procedures, Orlan has been able to express herself artistically. 



 Lastly, I was inspired by Virgil Wong’s art as his pieces depict certain ailments. I personally resonated with the piece on asthma as I’ve had asthma since I was a child. The art visualizes symptoms and almost personifies the disease.







Works Cited

Choi, Jeongho. “Cosmetic Surgery: Is It Science or Art?” Archives of Plastic Surgery, 

The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Sept. 2015, 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4579193/. 

Hodge, Max. “ORLAN- a Feminist Icon who Strived for Social Change.” Kazoart, 19 Apr. 2022, 

https://www.kazoart.com/blog/en/orlan-a-feminist-icon-who-strived-for-social-change/

Leddy, Siobhan. “How Orlan Turned Plastic Surgery into Feminist Art.” Artsy, 7 Aug. 

2017, 

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-70-body-modification-artist-orlan-reinventing.

Rhodes, Margaret. “The Man behind the Unexpected Beauty of Gray's Anatomy.” Wired, 

Conde Nast, 20 Apr. 2016, 

https://www.wired.com/2016/04/man-behind-unexpected-beauty-grays-anatomy/. 

Sherman, Cindy. “Chromatic Spiral.” Pinterest, 20 Apr 2022. 

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/455215474818112625/?mt=login. 


Van Mierevelt, Michiel. “Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Willem van der Meer” JSTOR Daily, 19 Apr. 2022, 

https://daily.jstor.org/public-dissection-gruesome-spectacle/ 

Vesna, Victoria, director. Human Body & Technologies. Vimeo, Accessed 19 Apr. 2022. 

Wong, Virgil. “Artist + Digital Technologist Transforming Human Health.” Virgil Wong, 3 Apr. 

2022, https://www.virgilwong.com/. 

Wong, Virgil. “Asthma.” Virgil Wong, 19 Apr 2022, https://www.virgilwong.com/art/


Wong, Virgil. “Corporeal Shift.” Virgil Wong, 20 Apr 2022, https://www.virgilwong.com/art/



Comments

  1. alexistongueDESMA9April 23, 2022 at 1:14 PM

    I think plastic surgery is something that has been ridiculed a lot in today's society and seen as fake. The lecture from this week really showed that plastic surgery is not just about superficial things but was a tool for reconstruction like after World War I. I also enjoyed Virgil Wong's art and how he depicted medical illnesses using colors and drawing of the human body.

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