The Science in the Art

artscience

It has been a while since last time I wrote in my blog. It has been a great journey so far this semester teaching Inquiry at Quinnipiac University, the academic advising experiment, the sculpting and painting parties, the workshops and talks on Business Needs Assessment with an Inquiry Approach, the show that just ended at Spectrum Gallery, the sculpting demo I had there back in March, the sculpting workshop at Columbus School through ARTE Inc., the computer classes at the now Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut, and a new partnership unfolding that gets me closer to understand my mission and the reason I do what I do… Well, that was a long sentence… Things are wrapping up as we are about a month away to finish the semester. The summer (if we get one this year in New England) is already promising good things. I think that brings us up-to-date in everything that is happening.

The Science in the Art

My students were working in groups to get feedback from each other as they prepared for their oral presentations. This is one way research in peer tutoring learning environments supports practice and practice supports research. In the process, one student was trying to find a connection between health sciences, specifically medicine, and art. To serve as an example that helped make the connection clear and concrete we have the Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University. Frank H. Netter M.D. was a surgeon and world’s most prolific medical illustrator. He helped medicine understand the human body with his illustrations. Interestingly, when people study medicine they call it medical arts. Not finding the connection yet? Let me help you understand. All the knowledge in science, or in any field, is incomplete without the capacity to think creatively to solve specific issues or to accurately come up with a diagnosis.

10897129_10150521204179956_2246822379688977574_n-2Creativity is the use of imagination of creative ideas. To transform that idea into a visual interpretation is just part of the “art” in anything. This might not be a strong argument for some but that is something to discuss with a guy who was smarter than me and many of us: Albert Einstein. He understood that “the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”. He also said that “to raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science”, and “logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you anywhere”. The art in science is often hard to connect if we don’t think beyond our day-to-day thinking. Equally hard is to understand the science in the art.

IMG_5613.JPGOne question I get a lot is: “How do your wife feels with you drawing and sculpting only women?”. No one asks how do I feel about my wife doing physical exams to random people. She is a physician and a very good one. The best I know. We see the human body in similar ways in the connection between art and science, as well as science and art. Understanding how the body interacts with itself and the environment, and how to represent these interactions visually through drawing of sculpting is both an art and a science. The curiosity that brings research to life and engages the scientific mind in seeking understanding is no different from the curiosity that pushes the figure artist to understand the human body.

One of Those Weeks

19607_10150561253524956_1804358799561093639_nHave you ever had one of those weeks? You might know what I am talking about here. There are weeks when a lot of things decide to happen together. Last week was one of those weeks for me when so many great things happened together that I am still trying to recount them all. I am so thankful for each one of this blessings. Among all those blessings, I had the opportunity to teach three nights, three different subjects: basic computer skills, painting, and sculpting. Of course, on each one many other teaching opportunities came along.  My wife says that no matter what I am doing I find the chance to teach something. I can’t stop myself from teaching something, because I learn through teaching.

11073071_10150564957424956_9088131320696504778_nBeing an educator is a challenge but it is also an amazing blessing. It doesn’t matter what the subject is. In ancient Greece the concept of subjects was technically the concept of branches of practice but it came from the three of knowledge and had to be connected to its trunk and rooted in practical life. Subjects were not isolated concepts. Specializations, so to speak, had a purpose in service. Switching subjects was a continuum. Math and music could be having a discussion together, and philosophy could assist the conversation inviting science to share its point of view while a poet put to rhythmic speech the historical account of the piece of art being created with the brush or under the chisel.

I see knowledge as one unlimited supply of interconnected events, points of views, interpretations, results from experience and experimentation, explanations of our surroundings, assumptions of what we don’t know based on the things we do know, and abstract descriptions of an idea. As I explained to one of the participants: “Everything we see, hear, and say is an abstraction of an idea”. Letters are the abstraction of the idea of a sound that we translate into a symbol, but that sound itself is an abstraction of the idea of that particular sound. Objects are abstractions of ideas producing symbols we get attached to. The object perish, and the symbol changes its value based on time and context, but the idea remains. Sadly, humans attach themselves to so many perishable abstractions instead of taking hold of the idea. Even more so, we often forget to rely on the source of life who put the idea into visual and palpable realization with just speaking.

11150225_10150566159194956_8952423942549070099_nOn that thought, I begin my week still in awe and spiritually refreshed after witnessing how 43 individuals made a profession of faith last night through baptism at City Church. It is such a fulfilling experience to hear each story towards transformation. It is also great to share this experience in community with a bunch of strangers that become family in Christ. This week we just began can be one of those weeks too if only we focus on being thankful, on keeping the faith with patience to see the fulfillment of the promise of God.

April is almost coming to an end but there are still things to do and classes to teach. I continue the computer class at The Literacy Center of Milford, and if you are missing on all the fun of the painting and sculpting parties, we are going to be sculpting at The Grove in New Haven, Friday, April 24. The events for the month of May are listed also so you can RSVP with time. You can also request private sculpting and painting parties, as well as art lessons.

The Discipline in The Discipline

Discipline is an interesting word. It describes a specialization within a field of practice. Think of physicians. Each of them specializes in specific conditions and treatments. Yes, they have to go through understanding pathophysiology or how diseases affect the natural functions of the human body. However, specializations allow them to understand specific functions related to specific parts of the body.

10655198_790658907639472_3321177383650736048_oDiscipline also describes training, activity, or exercise to develop and improve a skill. Think about martial artists, soldiers, and athletes. Think about all the time they spend, not fighting, not in war, or competing, but training hard to become better and master their abilities. It is sacrificial and hard work. Despite of the time and skills that took them there, they need to continue working to maintain what they know and can do. They also add to their knowledge as they exercise.

Then you have the discipline in the discipline. In every field of practice and every specialization within a field people have to continue working, practicing, sacrificing time, exercising, studying, and giving their all to maintain and improve the skills and abilities. When they thought they reached their degree or maximum capacity of their skills it is just the beginning. There is always something new to learn, there is always something that could be improved.

Photo Nov 28, 2 13 40 PMArt is no different. There are artists. There are artists who specialize in specific areas of expression. Yes, we learn what we can in a generalize way, and we may master a few disciplines within the arts, but we can’t forget that the discipline in the discipline makes us better in our specialization. This discipline entails from revisiting basic skills to complicated techniques. Although, “complicated” techniques is just the sum of basic skills put together (but that is a subject that could be explored in the near future).

As aforementioned, discipline requires to practice certain activities. How does this look like for an artist? What exercises help artists get better at what they do? I would like to mention a few from my personal experience. Feel free to share some of your own. These are in no specific order and they don’t happen altogether in one day.

  • Prayer, meditation, and Bible reading
  • Reading books and watching documentaries: art, history, archeology, anthropology, and psychology
  • Studio time (A lot can happen there. Read also Studio Time: Work on Something or Nothing)
  • Drawing and doodling (just for the fun of it)
  • Talking about art and ideas for future work
  • Listening to people: sometimes their stories inspire me (read also Inspired by Life)
  • Revisiting previous work. This helps me see where I need to practice more.
  • Teaching. By teaching others basic skills I remember to approach art with fresh eyes
  • Studying the figure: yoga, dancers, acrobats…
  • Disconnecting from art: It might sound awkward but sometimes I have to disconnect to reconnect.

I could go on and on, but it would be great to hear about your practices.