Week 4: Medicine, Technology, and Art

The origins of plastic surgery date back as far as 800 B.C. in India (Champaneria et al.). However, the World Wars of the 20th century truly allowed for the rise of plastic surgery as we see it now (Bouhadana et al.). Initially, the focus of plastic surgery was reconstruction to restore features to “normalcy” following mutilation. Below is a World War I veteran that underwent reconstructive surgery. 

Via Plastic Surgery of the Face by Dr. Harold Gillies

This was soon recognized as a profitable market for unnecessary aesthetic alterations, becoming known as cosmetic surgery. It is undeniable that plastic surgery, which encompasses both reconstructive and cosmetic surgery is an art form as the “doctor also sees the procedure with an artist's eye, discerning the subtleties of form and symmetry to make decisions that will transform not just tissue but lives” (Brumby). The dawn of social media has normalized cosmetic surgery more than in the past, with 48.5% of people reporting feeling compelled by social media to undergo plastic surgery (Arab et al.). Social media has given plastic surgeons a platform to showcase their art on the human body with before and after pictures, much like in a gallery. This allows them to attract clients who desire to commission their work. Below is an example of how plastic surgeons market their work to clients. 

Via Dr. Umur Akiner on Instagram

This normalization of cosmetic surgery has led to many movements to promote self-love of natural beauty. However, artist ORLAN has a different perspective. Having undergone over 70 surgeries in the name of art (view an image of her work below), ORLAN’s message is “not against cosmetic surgery, but rather against the conventions carried by it and their subsequent inscription" (The Guardian).

Via ORLAN’s “The Reincarnation of Saint Orlan” 1990-1993

Overall, plastic surgery highlights how medicine and technology can transform art and vice versa. 



Works Cited

Arab, Khalid et al. “Influence of Social Media on the Decision to Undergo a Cosmetic Procedure.” Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open vol. 7,8 e2333. 8 Aug. 2019, doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002333

Bouhadana, Gabriel et al. “The Reconstruction of Plastic Surgery: A Historical Perspective on the Etymology of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.” Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) vol. 31,4 (2023): 366-370. doi:10.1177/22925503211064377

Brumby, Daisy. “Is Plastic Surgery an Art or a Science?” American Society of Plastic Surgeons, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 11 Sept. 2023, www.plasticsurgery.org/news/articles/is-plastic-surgery-an-art-or-a-science. 

Champaneria, Manish C et al. “Sushruta: father of plastic surgery.” Annals of plastic surgery vol. 73,1 (2014): 2-7. doi:10.1097/SAP.0b013e31827ae9f5

“Orlan’s Art of Sex and Surgery.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 1 July 2009, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2009/jul/01/orlan-performance-artist-carnal-art#:~:text=%22I%20am%20all%20for%20pleasure,art%20is%20also%20anti%2DChristian.

Comments

  1. brooke_humphrey_desma9April 28, 2024 at 6:43 PM

    Hi Bailey, great post! I like how you researched the statistics on social media and plastic surgery. It reminds me of another way that modern medicine and art intersect: cosmetic dentistry. Most of today's Hollywood A-Listers have veneers on their teeth. Veneers were created by Dr. Pincus in 1928 to temporarily change an actors smile for a movie. People also use gold or diamond encrusted grillz to express themselves through their smile. Like you mentioned with plastic surgery, I also see a lot of dentists posting their tooth transformations on Instagram and TikTok.
    Great job,
    Brooke

    https://www.byte.com/community/resources/article/history-of-veneers-how-they-have-changed

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 2: Math and Art

Image
T his week’s lecture and reading heavily discussed Fibonocci’s number, which is the “ sequence of numbers 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, …, each of which, after the second, is the sum of the two previous numbers'' (Britannica). This is better known as the “golden ratio.” I have only seen the golden ratio related to architecture. I never thought to examine it in other art forms. However, the Fibonacci sequence often comes in handy for crochet design and measurements (Press Reader). Below, I have included how the sequence can appear in basic blanket designs. Fibonacci’s number isn’t only present in art, but also in science. Plants in nature have been shown to exhibit this ratio. Sunflowers are just one of many plants that exhibit this; their seeds spiral in a pattern that reflects Fibonacci’s number and the golden ratio (National Museum of Mathematics). An example can be seen of a sunflower exhibiting the golden ratio below. This highlights that art, math, and science are very closel...
Read more

Week 7: Neuroscience and Art

Image
T his week’s topic “Neuroscience and Art” has me thinking about the brain and how it processes information, including art. Art can be consumed in many different ways. Two examples are visually and auditorily, both of which are processed by the brain in slightly different ways. Visual information is “processed by an intricate system of interconnecting neurons, which begins with the optic nerve in the eye up to the visual processing center in our forebrain called the visual cortex” (Huff et al.). View diagram below for visualization of visual processing.  Via All About Vision As for auditory processing, the “outer ear directs sound waves to your eardrum and causes it to vibrate. These vibrations move through your middle ear and into your inner ear. Finally, these signals travel to your brain, which translates them into what you hear” (Cleveland Clinic). View below for a diagram depicting how auditory processing occurs.  Via University of Minnesota Libraries In addition to the p...
Read more

Week 9: Space and Art

Image
M ovies have always been the most interesting form of art. I couldn’t quite understand why until I read an article where the writer detailed “movies are the highes t art form because it takes writing, story, photography, drawing, painting, concept art, animation, visual effects, music, acting” (ActionVFX). This made me reflect on movies as a whole and realize that many famous action movies center around outer space. Space and art are unique in that they interplay with one another and help us to create fictional worlds and even theorize about the unknown. A few examples of the highest-grossing movies of all time that include space components are Avengers: Endgame and Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens (Box Office Mojo).  Both of these movies take on a unique art form that weaves space and space travel into the genre.  Via IMDb This pushed me to realize one of my favorite movies of all time sits directly at the center of space and art: Interstellar. “ When Earth becomes uninhabit...
Read more