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Week 4 | MedTech + Art

This week, Professor Vesna provided insights on how medicine and technology have influenced art. I found the origins of human dissection particularly fascinating. I was originally unaware that it was used by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. I was further unaware that it inspired artists, specifically those who worked on anatomical drawings. Leonardo Da Vinci, for example, dissected human bodies and created detailed, lifelike, anatomical drawings. In addition, Henry Gray’s book, “Anatomy,” has been used as a resource by numerous artists working with the human body for decades. Emily Watson is an example of an artist in today’s society who also draws inspiration from the human body. Some of her work can be seen here:


In 1895, Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen produced and detected electromagnetic radiation in a wavelength range today known as X-rays. For this discovery, Rontgen won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Obviously, the invention of the X-ray has an immense impact on medicine, allowing medical professionals to observe the human body in a non-invasive way. Another technological advancement that has influence medicine was the invention of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The MRI was created by Raymond Vahan Damadian, and it is used today by medical professionals in order to detect torn ligaments, tumors, and much more. An MRI machine can be seen here:


I also learned that plastic surgery, although a medical procedure, has inspired artists around the world. For instance, Orlan from France, used plastic surgery specifically for body performance art. She would have surgical procedures that were live and videotaped in order to embody the vision of beauty portrayed by famous artists in their artwork. Through 9 cosmetic surgeries, Orlan acquired the chin of Botticelli’s Venus, the nose of Jerome’s Psyche, the lips of Fancois Boucher’s Europa, the arms of Diana from a 16th century French painting, and the forehead of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. Another example of an artist who partook in similar procedures is Eduardo Kac. He is most famously known for his piece Time Capsule, in which he implanted a microchip in his leg, a procedure that occurred live and was videotaped. The needle and microchip used in this work can be seen here:


Overall, science and technology surely have had an impactful influence on medicine as well as art.




Works Cited

“Henry Gray.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Gray.

Kac, Eduardo. KAC, www.ekac.org/.

“Orlan.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Jan. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orlan.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt1.” YouTube, UC Online, 21 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep0M2bOM9Tk.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt2.” YouTube, UC Online, 21 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=psjnQarHOqQ.

Vesna, Victoria. “Medicine pt3.” YouTube, UC Online, 22 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIX-9mXd3Y4.

Watson, Emily. Emily Watson | Metal & Enamel Jewelry | Enamel Jewelry | beyond the Lover's Eye | Anatomical | Anatomy, www.metalemily.com/portfolio/PortfolioEnamelBTLE.html.

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