Tag: Fall 2015
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The plague of ergotism and the grace of God
Wilson EngelGilbert, Arizona, United States Perhaps the best known and least forgettable of all Renaissance art works depicting the graphic effects of disease is Matthias Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece (1506–1515), now in the Musée d’Unterlinden, Colmar.1 On the closed center portion of the altarpiece, is Grünewald’s famous portrayal of the Crucifixion in which the intensely human…
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Dr. Pozzi at home: Gynecologist, soldier, socialite
Sally MetzlerChicago, Illinois Blessed with professional success and movie-star looks, Dr. Pozzi stands before us appearing regal in his red velvet dressing gown. He was so admired for his sartorial élan that colleagues nicknamed him “The Siren.” The artist of this masterful portrait, legendary American expatriate John Singer Sargent, presents Pozzi devoid of any professional…
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Migrainous scotomata in art
JH McAuleyLondon, United Kingdom More than simply representing their visual environment, artists depict their visual experiences. Their work is invested with a personal emotional context. In some cases, the subject becomes the emotion itself, as conveyed in abstract colors and patterns or invoked by the expression on a human face; a popular example is of…
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Mantegna’s coral aorta
Madonna della Vittoria Andrea Mantegna Madonna della Vittoria (detail) Andrea Mantegna At first sight this coral in Andrea Mantegna’s painting looks like an abdominal aorta, the Superior Mesenteric Artery arising at its upper end, other branches from lower down. Corals are the products of minute marine sack-like organisms that live in compact colonies or…
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Saint Peter and Hansen’s disease?
Saint Peter holding the keys of heaven, circa 1295 Attributed to Arnolfo di Cambio Vatican City, Saint Peter’s Basilica Saint Peter Blessing with Donor, circa 1505 Bartolomeo Montagna Venice, Accademia Did Saint Peter have leprosy, or perhaps some other cause of injury to the ulnar nerve? It would seem so, according to Dr. Bennett…
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Unspoken
Asha Tyagi, MD, DNB, MNAMS Delhi, India He turned his face to look at her, murmured into her ear. Her words were not important, Were not even audible . . . . . . but her smile was beautiful as she returned his glassy gaze. Their eyes looked deep into each other, into…
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Homelessness
Rory Hutchinson Mixed media on canvas 100cm x 100cm (private collection) This painting is inspired by the plight of homeless patients and aims to highlight their loneliness and the isolation. Suspended in nothingness, the figure sits alone, surrounded by all he owns. He looks down, shoulders slumped. The viewer is…