NOTES FROM VESALIUS 500 - Part 1

MISSED IT THIS YEAR? GO NEXT YEAR!

The New York Academy of Medicine Center for History is an institution that everyone should get to know. One way to do that is to go to their annual open house events. This year's event was on October 18. Guest curated by artist Riva Lehrer, this day of history, medicine, pathology, anatomy, and loads of fun (yes, fun!) was entitled Vesalius 500. 2015 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of Andreas Vesalius who rocked the world in 1543 with the publication of his seminal book on human anatomy. In 449 more years I want a birthday party like NYAM's celebration of Vesalius!

MY PART - VISUALIZING ANATOMY

Tyner and I demonstrate the position and action of sternocleidomastoid.
(Photos by R. Sikoryak. A little blurry but he was videotaping at the same time.)

With the help of my model Tyner Dumortier, I talked about and drew muscles of the body that rotate the torso and/or move the arms in diagonal pattern. The "route" that we took around Tyner's torso was inspired by one of the plates from Vesalius' De humani corporis fabrica libri septem.

Here's a close up of Vesalius' inspirational plate.

I'm particularly attracted to the relationships of splenius capitis and the rhomboids.

I used bony attachments to create a "chain" of muscles that wrapped around the body, forming a spiral pattern. I did this because it's pretty! If you're going to attend an anatomy lecture on a Saturday morning, it ought to be entertaining at least.

Demonstrating trunk rotation and the function of the

serratus anterior and abdominal obliques.

Pectoralis major, serratus anterior, and the abdominal musculature,

get a work out in this burlesque-like image.

Vesalius and the anatomists he influenced over centuries, like Casseri (illo of one of his books above), show us anatomy in bodies situated in environments and often in lifelike poses. One of the reasons I draw on live models is to reinforce the understanding that anatomy is living in us! Not on a page.

NEEDLEWORK DISPLAY
NYAM displayed my needlework of body imagery that include colon- and end- oscopies, ultrasounds, and MRIs in their cabinets.

DRAWING THE PRESENTER
Last but not least, this is an image drawn by the fabulous MK Czerwiec, in some circles known as Comic Nurse. I love this! Notice that she even includes my reference to the muscles of the trunk as a "meat balloon." (But that's another story!)