DOCTORS AS ARTISTS
A discussion between Mahendra (Speedy)
Gonsalkorale and Chirasri Jayaweera
Bandara.
Speedy: This
article was prompted by comments that appeared in your beautiful bird paintings
post Chira, in response to my question “I was wondering whether all good
surgeons are also good artists. What do people think?”
Chira: I know
Mahendra and thanks for developing that theme and coming out with this dialogue.
Speedy: Ok, here we
go!
I was trying to see whether there
is a common underlying skill, as both require dexterity and imagination. I
looked at the published literature and found some interesting articles. When we
consider “art” as a broad heading it would include painting, etching sculpture
and also literary skills such as poetry and writing. Here we are concerned
mainly with painting.
I would recommend a very
informative article, “Physicians as Painters” by Avi Ohry MD Department of
Rehabilitation, Reuth Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel Affiliated to Sackler
Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Israel Keywords:
medicine, art, poetry IMAJ 2003;5:681±684.
The following quotes are from
the above publication.
It seems that close and
creative relationships existed between physicians and painters. Examples
include the great poet-physician John Keats (1795-1821) and Joseph Severn;
Francois Joseph Talma (1763-1826) ± physician-actor whose friendship with the
famous painter David led to Talma designing historical costumes for the theater;
the friendship between the poet-writer-surgeon-satirist John Wolcot (his
pseudonym was Peter Pindar) (1738-1819) and the painter John Opie (1761-1807 .
Van Gogh`s physician, Paul-Ferdinand Gachet, was known as the impressionist
painter's patron. Dr. Paul Alexandre (1881-1968), Dr. (dentist) Maurice
Girardin (Paris, 1884±1951) who left 420 paintings to the city of Paris, and
Dr. Albert Barnes (Philadelphia, 1872-1951) were physicians and art collectors.
Let us focus our attention on
physician-painters. Curiously, both professions share the same patron saint.
St. Luke, born in Antioch, was known to have been a Greek physician who
accompanied Paul after the ascension of Jesus.
. Krateuas (or Crateuas), who lived in the first century, was a
physician to Mithridates VI Eupator, king of Pontus. He was known as a
physician, actor, chemist, and painter. He described and illustrated plants
using natural colors, and some fragments of his works are included in the
Anicia Codex of Dioscorides housed in the Vienna State Library.
One of the great Dutch
painters, Jacob van Ruisdal (1682-1629) from Harlem (his real name was Izack de
Gooyer), was a physician in Amsterdam . William Thorenton (1759-1828), born on
Jost van Dyke Island (today the Virgin Islands), was sent to Edinburgh and
Aberdeen to study medicine.
Francois Emile Camus (Dijon,
1829-1893) was a physician and sculptor who worked with bronze.
Georges-Alexandre Chicotot, one of the first French radiologists, mostly
painted medical paintings or scenarios. Paul Louis Collin, born in Thorigny in
1834, was a physician and painter who worked with Courbet. He mainly painted
landscapes and still-life. Frederic Estre (Marseille, 1813 and Reuilly, 1902)
was a psychiatrist and painter His paintings were exhibited all over Europe.
In England, John Leech
(1817-1864), educated at Charterhouse, began his medical studies at St.
Bartholomew's but turned to art. His teachers were aware of his talent and
urged him not to restrict himself to anatomic drawings but to do portraits as well
Sir Francis Seymour Haden
(1818-1910) was an English etcher, writer and successful surgeon in London who
founded a hospital for patients with incurable diseases.
William Rimmer (1816- 1879),
whose father claimed their family was directly linked to the French royal
family, was born in Liverpool and raised in Boston. He was the first American
artist to sculpt the nude figure. His paintings were varied in subject matter,
including historical themes, portraiture, biblical subjects and romantic visionary
fantasy.
Henry Lamb (1883-1960), born
in Adelaide in South Africa, studied medicine at Manchester University Medical
School and at Guy's Hospital before taking up painting.
Here is an abstract of an
article by Professor WIC Morris.
In "The Doctor's Dilemma,"
Bernard Shaw suggests that there is more antagonism than attraction between the
doctor-scientist and the painter. The average doctor may, however, make some
claim to be an artist. In his professional work, art plays some role, even if
it is restricted to that much maligned professional accessory the bedside
manner. Doctors in their hobbies sometimes display a wider taste in art-for
instance as painters or collectors. The medical text-book has always required
skilled illustration to make intelligible a letterpress which has not always
been artistic. Many works of great medical importance owe their lasting fame as
much to the perspicacity and skill of the illustrator as to any other inherent
merit. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2218/resmedica.v2i1.330
The following quote by Janet
Seggie in “Medicine and the humanities - doctors as artists” was quite
interesting,
“The clinical gaze [has]
much in common with the artist's eye” - M Faith McLellan
http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-95742014000200001
According to Martha Fleming,
'Artists and doctors share highly developed observational skills and a
fundamental love for humankind'.
(Fleming M. Looking and Healing: Artists and their Doctors. Lecture
Seminar, Centre for Humanities and Health, King's College London, UK, 2012.
http://www.marthafleming.net/looking-and-healing-artists-and-their-doctors)
Speedy: The
following story will appeal to Ophthalmic surgeons like you, Chirasri.
Dr. Jaclyn Gurwin, a third year
Ophthalmology resident at the University of Pennsylvania’s Scheie Eye
Institute, has been drawing and painting since a young age. Her paintings are
especially delicate. Her meticulous work requires close examination to
appreciate all the nuances of colour and line variations happening within her
paintings. Yet despite their impressive attention to detail, her works remain
soft and unforced in their intricacy. The physical dexterity and artistic
eye needed to create her paintings is something that has translated
exceptionally well to the precise work she must do surgically on the eye
in ophthalmology, which Dr. Gurwin sees as an extraordinarily artistic
field. Dr. Gurwin attributes her art background to providing her with the
creative tools that help her problem solve in the operating room to create the
best aesthetic and functional result possible.
Chira: That was so
interesting and certainly struck a chord!
Speedy: I knew it
would! I now show some relevant comments that appeared in your post, MY PAINTINGS OF BIRDS on the 6th
of June 2022.
Chira: Thanks, Mahendra.
I posted this to start the discussion after you posed the question you started with.”
Mahendra, regarding all good surgeons are also good artists. Zita is an Eye
surgeon who is a good artist who used to make beautiful greetings cards.
I think surgeons are too busy to
paint unless they have started painting before they became surgeons.
I myself started painting after
retirement. On my own, I created a method of performing Freehand Keratoplasty
making a template with sterilised paper first and later cloth and also
performing Penetrating Keratoplasty (corneal grafting) on Hypopyon ( pus in the
anterior chamber) Ulcers.
The above two operations had not
been done by Ophthalmologists at that time in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. (This
was published in my Achievements in Ophthalmology on 2. 9. 21 in our Blog).
Artists are creative in nature!
My daughter Anjali is a good
artist and Mahendra, you had published one of her Pencil Drawings in our Blog
under Family News on 25.10.21 Several of her Pencil Drawings have been published
in the Kasturba Medical College Journal in Manipal, India where she studied
Medicine.
Since a surgeon has patience and
is precise on making incisions and good at suturing wounds, I feel a surgeon
will be able to paint as well do Cross stitching if he or she attempts.
Chira: Mahendra, I
like to give two examples – the first is Dr. Sunil Kulatunge VOG, (his wife is a
Consultant Ophthalmologist, one of my trainees), who is an artist doing paintings,
cross stitching etc. Here is what he said:
Dr Sunil Kulatunga’s observations.
“Since I was young I have always
been intrigued by activities that necessitated the use of my hands and fingers
for delicate movements. Even though the possibilities seemed endless. I
eventually took up painting, sewing, embroidery, and cross-stitching as my
hobbies.
I personally believe that these
hobbies have really helped me hone my skills as a surgeon. Painting has enabled
me to delicately hold small objects between my fingers and make accurate
movements.
However, I believe sewing,
embroidery and cross-stitching to be the hobby which was most beneficial for me
as a surgeon. It enabled me to unknowingly practice my craft even before
becoming a surgeon. The attentiveness and fine movements required of a surgeon
is also required to become proficient in sewing, embroidery and
cross-stitching.
Another important aspect is that
it trains you to keep attention for long periods of time. Painting, sewing,
embroidery and cross-stitching are very meditative in nature and the same close
scrutiny and attention required from a surgeon is required from them as mistakes
are difficult and time-consuming to rectify”.
Chira: The next is
an example of a busy surgeon known to me (my first cousin’s son-in-law) Dr.
Jayaindra Fernando who started painting when he was a teenager. He is a great
surgeon and an accomplished great artist who has held four big exhibitions at
the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery and several other exhibitions. I have been to
these exhibitions showing beautiful paintings
Dr. Jayaindra Fernando,
Consultant General Surgeon, Lanka Hospitals. Past President - College of
Surgeons of Sri Lanka. He was awarded the Honorary Fellowship of the Royal
College of Surgeons Edinburgh in June 2022. He writes- “Every surgeon is in
some way an artist. If not he or she cannot be a good surgeon. However, a few
surgeons take it one step further and make art by itself a serious hobby or a
part-time profession. Many articles are listed in Pubmed on this subject. As
for me, I have been a serious artist since my teens and upgrading myself as an
undergraduate. Four major art exhibitions, many minor exhibitions and many
publications have been opportunities to share them. Currently, I continue art and
a sample of my work can be seen online www.jayaindra.com/art
Speedy: Thanks, Chira.
My question was prompted by speculating about an association of manual
dexterity and skill required for a good surgeon with the artistic skills
possessed by a good artist. I just wondered whether surgeons who do highly
skilled surgery such as ophthalmic, plastic and neurosurgery would also be good
artists But to be a good artist, you need creative skills as well as the
ability to visualise. I suppose there are many doctors (not necessarily
surgeons) who never tried to paint or draw as they were too busy pursuing their
chosen careers.
I came across a few historical
and more recent doctor-artists. They are,
Santiago Ramon y Cajal was
an incredibly influential pathologist and artist who did a lot of drawings of
nerves. He was also apparently a talented painter in his youth,
Roy Calne, the notable
transplant surgeon from the UK, has exhibited his various media artworks
Frank Netter. Surgeon and
medical illustrator, published an anatomical atlas 1989, probably one of the
most used and beloved in medical schools today.
Adefemi Gbadamosi, also known
as Fola David, is a current medical doctor from Nigeria who doubles as a visual
artist. When it comes to his art he finds inspiration from the patients he
treats especially those with skin conditions.
Andreas Vesalius. 16th-century, Anatomist and Physician, wrote and illustrated one of the first true
anatomic atlases, with beautiful, classically inspired, prints
Dr Jaya Gupta,
Dermatologist and Painter, a current Indian doctor
Dr Sharanbir Kaur, Dentist
and Illustrator from India again.
I am sure there are many more.
Apart from common skills, I perceived the need for a busy doctor to have a really
relaxing hobby.
Chira: Very
interesting. What caught my attention most was Frank Netter Surgeon who
published an anatomical atlas very useful, especially to medical students.
Ophthalmic surgeons do very fine
surgery using the operating microscope, especially for Cataract surgery, Corneal
surgery such as grafting, Glaucoma surgery etc. These surgeries are very
intricate and precise. I feel that if Eye Surgeons attempt painting, they will
succeed. I feel also that not only surgeons but also others such as Neurologists
like you, Radiologists like Nihal are good artists.
Speedy: Manel (Owlie) sent
this comment- “Mahen. I think surgery does improve painting. Chira is in
exalted company. As Leonardo. Da Vinci knew the importance of knowing the
anatomy and as he was not a doctor and had no access to surgery, he stole
cadavers from graves and did dissections. But then in Naples he did dissections
at a medical college; I don’t know how. So, surgeons do make very good
painters. Though I don’t personally know any other surgeon who has done
fabulous paintings like Chira”.
Speedy: Owlie is right.
But they are so many aspects of Art and it is difficult to generalise. If you
look at truly original and creative painting, the skills required are different
from paintings done for example in Medieval times with fine graphic detail.
Both require skills but, in my view, of a different kind. The ability to
visualise and copy is different from the ability to "see what is not
there to see" and produce a visually powerful representation.
Chira: I found this
exercise very stimulating and let us hope we get some good feedback.
Speedy: Indeed, it
was most interesting and I too hope we get some useful feedback.
