Connecting Art and Science the Cultural History
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Connecting Art and Science The Cultural History of Art and Anatomy in Italy San Diego State University - General Studies 450 (3 Units) Faculty-Led Study Abroad, July 12-24, 2015 Professor Information Kevin Petti, Ph.D. School of Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, San Diego State University Dept. of Biology; Dept. of Health, Exercise Science and Nutrition, San Diego Miramar College President Emeritus, Human Anatomy and Physiology Society [email protected] faculty.sdmiramar.edu/kpetti Pre-Travel Reading and Streaming Video Assignment Below is a commentary about the theoretical underpinnings of this course followed by a list of webpage- linked book chapters, journal readings, streaming internet videos, and a list of historic figures in anatomy. You are required to closely examine the below prior to our travel to Italy. While abroad, you must be prepared to discuss these ideas and academic resources. I will be leading several discussion sessions while in Italy, and it is imperative that you are prepared for the conversation. Additionally, if you do not closely look over the below readings and videos, you will have no context for our museum visits. The result will be an experience that is not as deep and rich as possible. Additionally, being unprepared and non- participatory in the discussions will adversely affect your grade. To help you prepare, I listed a series of questions and bullets I will use to drive the discussions. I also inserted many webpage Wiki links to supplement the readings. I urge you to look these over as well. As you read/watch these items, please take notes when appropriate so you will be able to contribute to the conversation and ask pertinent questions. I am confident you will find all of the readings and videos to be worth your time, and quite interesting as well. Perhaps share them with your family to help them understand the scope of your Study Abroad experience. !1 Preface to the Course The objective of this study abroad course is to examine the history of human anatomy as an academic discipline through the lens of its birth, growth and development along the Italian peninsula. This will be connected to the study of anatomy by the Renaissance masters to heighten their painting and sculpture, as well as the Christian milieu of that period. The visual splendor of this narrative is also a central theme: from 400 year old anatomy theaters to artistically amazing wax anatomical models of dissected humans, to Renaissance art of anatomical accuracy and arresting beauty. Preceded by a series of readings and videos, the centerpiece of this interdisciplinary, cross-cultural, and international experience is a 12-day visit to Italy that brings this unique story to life. The History of Anatomic Investigation for Medical Education Direct examination of human structure as an academic and professional endeavor can be traced back to Herophilus and Erasistratus in 300 BCE in the city of Alexandria, the intellectual and cultural center of the ancient Greek world. These early physicians are documented to have engaged in hundreds of actual dissections, and even vivisection (dissection of the living, probably prisoners). Written accounts of their anatomical investigation, although mentioned in the writings of others, have largely been lost. The anatomy of the Alexandrian ancients was advanced somewhat by Galen of Pergamum (131-201 CE), a Greek living at the height of the Roman Empire. Combined, their works were considered anatomic dogma and not challenged or refined for well over a millennia. A major flaw of the surviving Greco-Roman anatomic corpus was its frequent errors from not being based on actual human dissection, along with the absence of anatomic illustration. These two factors eventually rekindled a desire for direct observation and precipitated a movement that laid the foundations of modern anatomy. This was not possible however, until the fall of the Roman Empire and the onset of late Medieval Europe, as human dissection was prohibited by the Romans and strictly controlled by the early Christian church. It was not until the establishment of the modern university in late Medieval Italy that human anatomy was instituted as a required component of an academic curriculum studied by physicians. It was at the University of Bologna in the 13th century, arguably the world’s first university in the contemporary sense (founded in 1088), that we see human dissection conducted by professors in the presence of students as an element of university coursework. As the Renaissance commenced, the context became increasingly scholastic and was eventually governed by statutes that regulated the acquisition and handling of human remains for anatomic investigation. As more members of the university community attended, along with local aristocracy and even painters and sculptors, anatomies became more public, increasingly ceremonial, and at times, quite a spectacle. Initially dissection was conducted infrequently and quietly. Students stood on temporary scaffolding, and the event was informal. As interest in human structure and function expanded for both physicians and artists alike, and the demand for human cadavers surged, there was a need for venues to !2 accommodate larger audiences. The surviving permanent anatomy theaters that we will visit in this course at the University of Bologna and the University of Padua remind us today of this era. As cultural mores evolved, dissection and the public anatomy was considered crude and even an embarrassment to the university. There was a need to supplant the ephemeral corpse with a nonperishable substitute for these cultural reasons, as well as for the practical purpose of not being able to meet the increasing demand for bodies. An anatomically detailed and artistically stunning collection of waxwork models was the result. Here we can see a unique blend of art and science evolving along the Italian peninsula. The first collection of anatomical wax sculptures for anatomy education in the medical school was created by Ercoli Lelli (1702-1766) for the University of Bologna. Using a technique of sculpting wax musculature upon natural bone, Lelli focused his work on osteology and myology. Lelli worked with other artists/anatomists such as the husband-wife team of Giovanni Manzolini (1700-1755) and Anna Morandi Manzolini (1714-1774) who constructed models of the organs of sensation, digestion and reproduction. This collection was enriched by other artisans who produced sculptures depicting a variety of pathologies such as cancers, infectious diseases, and teratological conditions. The result of these combined efforts culminated in the world’s first and greatest collection of anatomical waxes for medical education. Bolognese anatomists consider these collections as a whole, representing a continuum in the history of anatomical teaching. This important collection of 18th and 19th century waxworks is on display in two locations: the University of Bologna’s Palazzo Poggi Museum, and the Institute of Human Anatomy. Both venues are on our itinerary. The art and science of anatomical wax modeling exploded. The greatest laboratory with the most prolific and talented wax modelers was associated with the University of Florence. The products of the Florentine wax school were in great demand and were dispersed to universities in Italy and across Europe. An amazing collection from this laboratory is housed in The Museum of Zoology and Natural History at the University of Florence, also referred to as La Specola. This museum, dating back to 1775 claims to be the first scientific museum in the world and will be visited by our class. It is an extensive facility with over 30 rooms of zoological specimens, ten of which are dedicated to anatomic waxes. Over 500 wax anatomicals fill these ten rooms with organs and limbs of incredible detail and accuracy. Most impressive, however, are the 26 whole body specimens. Many of these models can be dismantled and reassembled à la the modern plastic torsos in our present day anatomy laboratories. It is believed that due to the inability to preserve cadavers in that era, over 200 dissected human specimens were required to produce a single whole body figure. The oldest and most important waxes at La Specola were produced by Gaetano Giulio Zumbo (1656-1701) who is considered to be the pre-eminent anatomical wax artist. His famous wax head which is perhaps the first anatomical wax model ever produced, along with three wax tableaux of morbid scenes, such as his Triumph of Time are on display at La Specola. The vast majority of waxes, however, were produced by Clemente Susini (1754-1814), who is regarded as the most famous and prolific anatomical wax sculptor of the Florentine school. !3 An Italian culture that was the cradle of the Renaissance and the birthplace of modern anatomic investigation produced wax models that could not have originated anywhere else. It is no surprise that Florence was the epicenter of a 17th and 18th century waxworks movement since it had been the fountainhead of the European Renaissance a few centuries earlier. Connecting Anatomic Investigation and Renaissance Art Masters such as Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) and Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) are perhaps the best-known Renaissance artists and near universally celebrated for their paintings and sculptures. They flourished during Renaissance Humanism, a cultural movement that began in Italy and revived ancient Greco-Roman thought, culture, and art throughout Europe. Art was no longer confined to the strict Christian themes of the Middle Ages, but now emphasized earthly beauty and accurate representations of man and nature. Leonardo’s Annunciation and Michelangelo’s David while religious in message, are quintessential examples of Humanism in Renaissance art and you will see them both while in Florence. Look closely at the angel’s wings in the Annunciation. Leonardo studied birds in flight and that clearly influenced his portrayal of wings in this masterpiece.