The 1700s brought a scientific revolution through people such as Galileo Galilei, Blaise Pascal, Isaac Newton and Johannes Kepler. New ideas, thoughts, and discoveries were reinventing how the world was seen. Observations and discoveries were being made in human anatomy and pathology as well and many of these discoveries being documented in art. Without the ability to visually document discoveries, artists were often retained to work alongside a scientist to document discoveries. While maybe not considered "traditional" art, the artistic drawings and engraved plates used to print in anatomical books are still works of art. The minute details required to document bones, muscles, tissues and tendons, as well as the addition of artistic liberties in posing the subjects in action or movement, shows the incredible talent of these artists.
Muscle Figure, Seen from the Front, 1780, Antonio Cattani. Etching and engraving on five plates printed on five sheets. Getty Research Institute, 2014.PR.17
Antonio Cattani was an Italian printmaker known for his anatomical prints. The above Muscle Figure was printed on 5 sheets with the additional backside of the figure printed on another 5 sheets, making these prints life size. He arranged his écorché figures (meaning flayed or without skin) in postures to accentuate the muscles and bones with his prints used as instructional aids for both medical and artistic purposes (Zabrodski, 2014).
Muscle Figure and Rhinoceros, 1742, Jan Wandelaar. From Bernhard Siegfried Albinus, Tabulae sceleti et musculorum corporis humani (Leiden, 1747), pl. 4. Los Angeles, Library Special Collections for Medicine and the Sciences, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA, BIOMED ** WZ 260 A337t 1747
Jan Wandelaar was an artist from Amsterdam who paired with the professor of medicine and anatomist, Bernhard Siegfried Albinus, to create Tables of the Skeleton and Muscles of the Human Body in 1747. Wandelaar moved to Leiden to work closely with Albinus on the artistic portion of the collaboration (The Huntington). Their published book was a current understanding of anatomy as well as utilized the most advanced techniques in printing. The rhino seen above is Clara, a European celebrity, who arrived in the Netherlands in 1741. Wandelaar used her in this separate illustration to promote interest in their published book.
Print of a Ruysch display.
Frederik Ruysch (1638-1731) was an unusual Dutch anatomist known for his 'still life' displays which used embalmed corpses, preserved bones and organs to set up scenes and displays of playful content. As the city obstetrician and educator for Amsterdam, he has access to miscarried fetuses, often used in his displays (Martinez, 2008). He used warmed white wax, colored a soft red or pink, injected into the blood vessels to give the bodies and organs a warm, lifelike color. Though this sounds morbid and unappealing, his displays were popular and made attractive with the addition of flowers, embalmed animals, moral purpose and artistic arrangement. Ruysch believed he was giving new life and purpose amidst death through both entertainment and education, although he kept his embalming secrets to himself as he believed that he alone was able to defy death with the ability to make a corpse look as though it was still alive (Kooijman, 2014). His work made discoveries in the structures of the lymphatic system, eye and preservation techniques. He taught students and physicians, his discoveries were recorded in a volume of books titled Thesaurus Anatomicus which was illustrated by himself as well as contributing artists and was also the subject matter himself for several works of art.
As someone currently working in the medical field with human specimens, I find anatomical art both beautiful and fascinating, though honestly I would not like a display of Ruysch's in my home. Death and dissection can be difficult and morbid subjects, yet they are subjects that pertain to every person on Earth. At some point we will all face surgery, the need for pathology and/or death and the knowledge gained, displayed and documented by talented scientists and artists brings life and meaning to a common thread among all people.
To start off, I would like to give my appreciation for sharing these works and your thoughts on them. As someone who hadn’t viewed much anatomical art this blog was an incredibly interesting read. It is hard to imagine someone with enough artistic mastery along with the detailed knowledge of the human anatomy to create these pieces. This becomes an even more impressive feat when you realize these were created over two centuries ago. I will definitely be reading more about this enthralling subset of art. Amazing work on this blog, can't wait to see what you will do next!
Lily, First off I want to say I was shocked when I opened your blog, as the art you presented is much different then what I and most of our peers presented. As your pieces have no color, and little to no background. My first thought without reading was how the heck did the artist know about what muscles, tendons, and ligaments look like and then you mentioned they worked alongside scientists which I thought was neat. I agree with you. I don't think I would display in any personal spaces as death is a hard topic, but I do find all your pieces very beautiful.
I wanted to express my appreciation for your blog post on autonomy art in the classical era. Your insights into the significance of autonomy in art during that time period were truly enlightening. It was fascinating to read about how artists explored themes of individual expression and creativity, and your analysis provided a great understanding of this aspect of art history. Thank you for shedding light on this topic and for deepening my appreciation for the artistic developments of the classical era.
Hi Lily, great post! I really was intrigued on the pieces you chose as most probably wouldn't dig into this type of art. Although I continuously have to remind myself there is art in everything! Its appealing to read your post and see how you digest your pieces you chose within the science and the art of anatomy. I really enjoyed how you chose this within the Classical theme as this is something that would be highly overlooked! Overall I really enjoyed your topic and the pieces you chose, especially the long art piece was very interesting on how it was made.
My name is Lillian. I am a born and bred Alaskan who calls this home but can't wait to leave come January and February. Sadly, I do not appreciate the cold and dark. Summer is my time of year. The blessing of abundance we have here is unmatched and I try to utilize all that we have by filling the freezer with meat and fish, garden veggies and gallons and gallons of blueberries. No, I will not tell you where my secret spot is. I believe art surrounds everything we do, from how dinner is served to the clothing we wear to conversations at work. Art is the expression of how we live and the joy in seeing the beauty in it. Art is such a large word. It encorporates setting, feeling, relationship, conversation, structure and vision. No, I am not a "traditional" artist. I cannot draw worth beans. I don't write, definately do not paint and by no means am I any sort of art critic or interpretor or really have any knowledge of art history, structure or style. But I do
Our Lady of the Rockies - The fourth largest statue in the United States, sits atop the Continental Divide overlooking Butte, Montana. She is created in the likeness of Mary, mother of Jesus, dedicated to mothers everywhere, and inspired and designed by Bob O'Bill as a tribute to his thankfulness and gratitude when his wife survived her battle with cancer. The statue stands 90ft tall at an elevation of 8,500 ft above sea level. She is lit in the evening year-round and so is able to be seen day and night. Mainly a huge community funded project, construction began in 1979 and the finished statue was unveiled in 1985. Of course, controversy has surrounded her since conception - cost and a forced religious aspect on an entire community were/are part of the controversy. Yet she still stands. Her stark white contrast to the natural surrounding colors makes her stand out in the "Big Sky Country" of Montana. The location of the statue also presents an imposing
Hi Lily,
ReplyDeleteTo start off, I would like to give my appreciation for sharing these works and your thoughts on them. As someone who hadn’t viewed much anatomical art this blog was an incredibly interesting read. It is hard to imagine someone with enough artistic mastery along with the detailed knowledge of the human anatomy to create these pieces. This becomes an even more impressive feat when you realize these were created over two centuries ago. I will definitely be reading more about this enthralling subset of art. Amazing work on this blog, can't wait to see what you will do next!
Vaughan
Lily,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I want to say I was shocked when I opened your blog, as the art you presented is much different then what I and most of our peers presented. As your pieces have no color, and little to no background. My first thought without reading was how the heck did the artist know about what muscles, tendons, and ligaments look like and then you mentioned they worked alongside scientists which I thought was neat. I agree with you. I don't think I would display in any personal spaces as death is a hard topic, but I do find all your pieces very beautiful.
I wanted to express my appreciation for your blog post on autonomy art in the classical era. Your insights into the significance of autonomy in art during that time period were truly enlightening. It was fascinating to read about how artists explored themes of individual expression and creativity, and your analysis provided a great understanding of this aspect of art history. Thank you for shedding light on this topic and for deepening my appreciation for the artistic developments of the classical era.
ReplyDeleteHi Lily, great post! I really was intrigued on the pieces you chose as most probably wouldn't dig into this type of art. Although I continuously have to remind myself there is art in everything! Its appealing to read your post and see how you digest your pieces you chose within the science and the art of anatomy. I really enjoyed how you chose this within the Classical theme as this is something that would be highly overlooked! Overall I really enjoyed your topic and the pieces you chose, especially the long art piece was very interesting on how it was made.
ReplyDelete