Art of Observation—MED-1039

Spring 2015

Course Directors:

Bonnie Pitman, Distinguished Scholar in Residence, University of Texas at Dallas

Nicole Stutzman, DMA Chair of Learning Initiatives

Heather Wickless, Assistant Professor of Dermatology

Faculty Sponsor: Heather W. Wickless, MD, MPH

Departments: UT Dallas, Dallas Museum of Art, UTSW Department of Dermatology

Rationale

Observation, visual inspection, with interpretation and verbal communication of one’s findings are essential skills in medical practice. These skills can be learned utilizing master works of art, teaching medical students “visual literacy”, which is the ability to reason pathophysiology from careful, unbiased observation.1 Looking carefully at art involves analyzing the entire work before making judgments or interpretations.

Participants in the Art of Observation will learn to focus their attention on works of art and to use this visual exercise to reach conclusions. In this process, there is often more than one answer; as each viewer brings his or her personal experiences and preferences.2 Exploration of core artistic concepts such as line, color, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance, and symmetry to analyze a work of art will be taught and utilized. Dallas Museum of Art docents will lead activities and discussions that help the student hone and communicate visual findings. After mastering basic art observation, two sessions will provide an opportunity to apply these skills to clinical assessment of patients using archived records of digital clinical images. Group discussions are lively and invite individual interpretations. This is not an art history class, and students need no previous training in the arts to participate.

Similar to courses offered at many medical campuses across the US, this course at UT-Southwestern is meant to foster early in one’s medical career the habits of close visual inspection and cognitive reflection of those observations. This habit engenders a form of “metacognition” in which students learn to synthesize observations with one’s knowledge and experiences as well as consider the collaborative thinking process of the group, a skill vital to successful clinical practice.3

This course meets in accordance with the schedules at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Nasher Sculpture Center and the UT-Southwestern Medical Campus.

Objectives1. Explore artistic concepts of line, color, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance and symmetry 2. Utilize artistic concepts to close observation, description and group discussion/interpretation of

artworks3. Apply visual skills to patient observation using diagnostic images.4. To develop skills of group presentation and collaboration with team members.

Format

Small Group Discussion Six two-hour sessions, including a 30-min pre and post-test. Minimum class 20 students, capped at 24 students Classes at: Dallas Museum of Art, Nasher Sculpture Center, The Warehouse, and UTSW Campus

Student EvaluationGrades will be pass / fail, attendance is taken at each session. 75% attendance required to receive acknowledgement for the course. (A student must attend at least 5/6 sessions.) A separate pre and post-test of observations of artwork and patient images must be completed for credit, but is not assigned a grade or score. Students are expected to participate in lively discussions facilitated by museum docents. The diversity of the collections in these museums exposes the students to a rich multi-cultural experience.

Course EvaluationStudents attending at least 5/6 sessions will fulfill the requirements for course acknowledgement and a passing grade. Students completing an online course evaluation will also receive transcript acknowledgement. The course evaluation will include students’ perceptions of how well course objectives are met, and is utilized by the instructors to improve future curriculum.

Representative Sessions Review of core artistic concepts in the museum

o Line, color, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance, and symmetryo Approach to analysis of artworks

Introduction in the European galleries, Dallas Museum of Art Introduction to the Pre-Columbian and Asian Collections, Dallas Museum of Art Walking tour of artworks on UTSW Campus, followed by Visual Skill Rounds using digital patient

imagery Introduction to contemporary works from late 20th- 21st centuries at The Warehouse Sculpture at the Nasher Sculpture Center

o An outdoor “roof-less” museum that serves as a peaceful retreat for reflection of both art and

nature and public home for his collection of 20th-century sculpture.

Bus transportation to and from UT Southwestern is provided.

References

1. Naghshineh S, Hafler JP, Miller AR, Blanco MA, Lipsitz SR, Dubroff RP, Khoshbin S, Katz JT. Formal art observation training improves medical students visual diagnostic skills. J Gen Intern Med. 2008. Jul; 23(7)

991-97.2. Klugman CM, Peel J, Beckmann-Mendez D. Art rounds: teaching inter-professional students visual

thinking strategies at one school. Academic Medicine. 2011. 86 (10) 1266-71.3. Schaff PB, Isken S, Tager RM. From contemporary art to core clinical skills: observation, interpretation,

and meaning-making in a complex environment. Academic Medicine. 2011. 86(10) 1272-76.

Art of Observation Enrichment Elective MED-1039 2014-15

All classes are Thursdays, 4-6pmSession 1 January 8th Dallas Museum of ArtSession 2 January 15th Dallas Museum of Art

Session 3 January 29th UTSW Campus

Session 4 February 26th The Warehouse

Session 5 March 26th Nasher Sculpture Center (across street from the museum)

Session 6 April 9th Dallas Museum of Art

A minimum of 20 students are required at all times for his elective, and a maximum of 25.

MISSED CLASSES: Call Betty R. Shaw, Enrichment Electives Coordinator, 214-648-9176

TWO DAYS notice required for missed classes Arrange for substitute student to attend and maintain minimum student requirement

UTSW/DMA ART OF OBSERVATION January 8, 2015, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

VISIT ONE: Introduction to Course and Visual Investigation with ArtMaterials needed: student journals, pencils, stools, and DMA collections catalogues*Meet the group at DMA entrance, proceed to 2nd Floor

I. Welcome and introductions – instructors and studentsa. Background questions; getting to know each otherb. Pass out student journals

II. Course overviewa. Briefly address course goals, the visits (activities and content) designed to

address these goals, and course assessment.

III. Visual Investigation I: Apollo and Diana Attacking the Children of Niobe by Jacques Louis David

a. Gather as a large group in front of the paintingb. Invite students to view the work for 60-90 secondsc. Ask students to turn with their backs to the painting, and record in their journals

a list/inventory of what they remember seeing in the artworkd. Have students turn back around and begin discussion using their list of

observations. Bonnie and Nicole guide discussion with additional prompts/questions/artwork content.

i. Where did your eyes go first in the picture?ii. Have someone read their list out loud to the group

1. What are items on everyone’s list?2. What did your classmate see that you did not?3. What have we missed?

iii. Allegory – significance of the storyiv. This picture is only one moment in the story. Describe what happened

before and after this moment.v. David’s biography – what was happening in his life at the time of this

painting?e. Conclude the discussion as a group. What are key points for us to take away?

i. We all see things differentlyii. Benefits of looking together as a group; gathering more information

through visual observations and interpretationsiii. Slowing down; spending time looking at one work of artiv. …

IV. Visual Investigation II: Seasickness on an English Corvette by Francois-August Biarda. Gather as a large group in front of the paintingb. Compare and contrast this narrative to the previous (Apollo and Diana)c. Scan the faces in this crowd – focus on one …

**Move group from 2nd Floor to 4th Floor

V. Practice Physical Examination: Portraits in the American Galleriesa. Start with large group discussion about physical examinations – engage students

in sharing what these examinations include.i. When does a physical examination occur?ii. What characteristics and qualities is a doctor looking for during the initial

physical examination?iii. What is challenging about doing a physical examination, or what do you

anticipate to be challenging? b. Drawers and Describers Activity

i. Invite students to pick a partner. Ask pairs to stay on 4th floor.ii. Pairs will pick two American portraits to focus on for the Drawers &

Describers activity. iii. One student in each pair will face a portrait – looking at it closely. The

other student has his/her back turned to the work so that he/she cannot see it. The first student describes the figure in the portrait (practicing physical examinations), and the second student draws the figure based on the verbal description.

iv. After 10 minutes, the pair takes a moment to compare and contrast the illustration with the actual portrait.

v. Partners switch roles and try the exercise again with a different portrait. c. Group Discussion – gather back together as large group and discuss

i. What was challenging about the Drawers & Describers activity?ii. What did you notice about your own abilities to listen or describe during

the activity?iii. How could you have been more precise or descriptive?

VI. Conclude and dismiss

UTSW/DMA ART OF OBSERVATION January 15, 2015, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

VISIT two: Introduction to Course and Visual Investigation with ArtMaterials needed: student journals, pencils, stools, and DMA collections catalogues*Meet the group at DMA entrance, proceed to 3nd Floor

VII. Welcome and introductions – instructors and studentsa. Review last class

VIII. Course overviewa. Briefly address course goals, the visits (activities and content) designed to

address these goals, and course assessment. Observation, visual inspection, with interpretation and verbal communication are

essential in medical practice. These visual skills are also used in analyzing works of art.

Close visual inspection and cognitive reflection can help students learn to synthesize observations with one’s experiences as well as consider the collaborative thinking process of the group, a skill vital to successful clinical practice

Enhance students’ core clinical skills through guided instruction in observation, description and interpretation of visual arts

b. Class overview - explore the human body in different culture and over time, and artists who dealt with illnesses

IX. LOOKING closely with mind and body-a. Group discussion on looking at works of art

i. Take time, open to new ideas, reflect, attendii. Focus attention, generate ideas and meaning, observe, discover, learn

iii. Create multiple interpretations, respond with senses, looking closely is never completely done, use imagination, intuition and create new ideas

X. Visual Investigations Human form from different cultures – COMPARE and CONTRAST PAIRINGS

GROUP 1 - ANCESTOR COUPLES      John Singleton Copley, portraits of Sarah Langdon and Woodbury

Langdon ( pg. 172), American Gallery, level 4     Jalisco Figures (pg. 39), Ancient American Gallery, level 4

     Indonesian Ancestor figures - Batak ( pg. 112) Indonesian galleries , level 3

 

GROUP 2 - Bodies in Motion     Henry Moore, Second floor landing    and       Greek Eros Lamp   ( pg. 139)     Shiva Nataraja ( pg. 99) , South Asian Gallery , level 3

 

GROUP 3 – POWER FIGURES     Ralph Earl, Captain John Pratt (pg. 165) American Gallery, level 4

     Fang ancestor (pg. 78) , African Gallery

o     Sakyamuni Buddha, Thailand  (pg. 105)

GROUP 4 - Beauty     Lawrence , Mrs. Seymour Bathurst   ( pg. 181) 

     African Cross River Region, Headcrest,   Efut peoples (not in Handbook) ; African Galleries , Level 3

      Kuniyoshi's Bather, American Galleries, Level

ACTIVITIESa. LOOKING and POSING ACTIVITIES b. Gather in small groups c. Invite students to view the work for 60-90 secondsd. Ask students to record in their journals a list/inventory of what they see in the

artwork and compare and contrast to the companion piece

i. Where did your eyes go first?ii. What do you think this culture defined and depicted as beauty

iii. How is the figure posed and what do you think the meaning isiv. How is the figure adornedv. What would the figure do next if it could move

vi. Have someone read their list out loud to the group1. What are items on everyone’s list?2. What did your classmate see that you did not?3. What have we missed?

e. Posing –

i. Ask one student to take the pose of the figure and arrange themselves ias carefully as possible in that pose

ii. Have the other students assist in adjusting and arranging the posed student more precisely

iii. Take photos to document changes

f. Conclude the large discussion as a group. What are key points for us to take away?

i. We all see things differentlyii. Artist over time and in different cultures see and create beauty

differently iii. Benefits of looking together as a group; gathering more information

through visual observations and interpretationsiv. Slowing down; spending time looking at one work of art

XI. Artists as Patients - PowerPoint presentationLarge group discussion about artists and the impact of diseases on their art.

i. Selected artists- Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh, Pollock, Rothko etc and the impact of their diseases on their art

ii. Creative responses to making artiii. Artists representation of illness – Rembrandt and Eakins

XII. Conclude and dismiss

UTSW/DMA ART OF OBSERVATIONJanuary 29, 2015, 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.Clements University Hospital

SESSION 3: Discussion of color and interpretation, clinical considerations/applicationMaterials needed: student journals, pencils, colored pencils, Pantone color charts, paint swatches*Meet at main entrance, level 1

I. Clinical Considerations: PowerPoint presentation and discussion led by Heather Wickless, MD (30 minutes) – Education Center classroom (2nd floor)a. As students enter the classroom, ask them to pick the Pantone swatch that best

represents “red”b. At the beginning of class, Heather will lead a brief poll and conversation of the

differences in color perceptionc. Presentation: Patient imagery depicting similar findings in different skin colors

i. The distribution of eruptions gives a clue to possible causes of a rashII. Overview of CUH Art Collection: PowerPoint presentation by Courtney Crothers (10

minutes)III. Looking and recreating; interpreting (20 minutes)

a. Students break into groups of 2 and study Hildur Jonsson’s large piece in the Education Center commons area

i. Study the work (2 minutes)ii. Return to the Education Center classroom; pick a paint swatch that best

matches the main color featured in the artwork; sketch the work with your partner, using the colored pencils provided (10 minutes)

iii. Reconvene as a group in front of the work and compare sketches to original1. Does your paint swatch match?2. Does your sketch match or are elements missing or incorrect?3. What did you observe about the medium?4. What do you see, if anything, in this work?

IV. Collaborative problem-solving (20 minutes)a. Students gather in front of Dornith Doherty’s series, Millennium Seed Bank Research

Seedlings and Lochner-Stuppy Test Garden.b. In groups of 4-5, analyze the work and develop a “diagnosis” for what is being depicted.

(5 minutes)c. Elect a member to present the group’s diagnosis.d. Discussion and reveal [Courtney will provide title of work and copies of artist interview]

i. As you discussed the work, did group members offer perspectives you had not considered?

1. Differences in background and culture affect perspective and can offer more information in solving a problem or even alternative solutions

ii. Was your diagnosis correct?V. Identifying subtle differences (10 minutes)

a. Students gather on 2nd floor atrium around Spencer Finch mobile.b. Quietly look at the work for 2 minutes.c. Discuss what you see

i. Any differences in the panes of glass?

1. 3 different sizes2. 3 levels of opacity

d. How does this work make you feel?e. What was the artist’s intention?

VI. Looking at and interpreting Contemporary art; 3rd floor (TIME PERMITTING)a. Sevan Melikyan, After Boudin’s “Approaching Storm”b. Kenn Kotara, El Río

VII. Wrap-up

UTSW/DMA ART OF OBSERVATIONMarch 26, 2015, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.Nasher Sculpture Center

Session Five: How to Look at SculptureMaterials needed: student journals, pencils, colored pencils, pantone charts (optional) Meet near Flora Street entrance (Fountain outside entrance doors)

Objectives: ● Practice observation and analysis specific/unique to sculpture ● Explore artistic concepts of line, color, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance and

symmetry ● Utilize artistic concepts to close observation, description and group

discussion/interpretation of artworks● Apply visual skills to patient observation using diagnostic images.● Develop skills of group presentation and collaboration with team members.

I. Introduction to Nasher Collection (10 minutes)Nasher Curator Jed Morse presents overview of collection history and focus

II. Presentation and Extended Looking: Auguste Rodin’s The Age of Bronze (20 minutes) http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/art/collection?artistid=3756

A. Gather as large group in front of the sculptureB. Invite the students to view the work from all possible sides and share initial

observationsC. Jed and Nasher Conservator Nicole present information about artwork

1. History, context, and significance2. Materials and conservation (x-rays)

D. Bonnie, Nicole, and Nasher Educator Tom Jungerberg articulate/reiterate key considerations for how to look at sculpture

1. Space - positive and negative (open/close), viewer walks around it2. Scale and physicality3. Materials - surfaces, textures, colors, technique, 4. Light and shadows

III. Exploring Materials and Surfaces (30 minutes)A. Students work independently in journals. (15 minutes)

1. Choose three sculptures in the gallery to observe and describe. ● Make a list of ten words for each artwork that describe the

surfaces, qualities, and textures of the material used by the sculptor.

● All words must be adjectives. No nouns, descriptions of the subject matter, or use of the actual material word (for example, if

the sculpture is bronze the student cannot use the word bronze in their list of ten descriptive words).

B. Students break into five small discussion groups guided by one of the five instructors to share and compare observations and descriptions. (15 minutes)

IV. Sketching and Recreating (40 minutes)A. Divide students into three groupsB. Nicole and Bonnie take one group to focus on Alexander Calder’s The Spider or

Raymond Duchamp-Villon’s Large Horsehttp://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/art/collection?artistid=3749http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/art/collection?artistid=3848

1. Sketching activity: Students are guided through a multi-step sketching activity that involves varied observational techniques and emphasizes moving around the sculpture.

2. Share and discuss observations about the artwork.a) consider comparison to Spencer Finch work at Clements

C. Tom takes one group to focus on Melvin Edwards’ Chainohttp://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/art/exhibitions/exhibition?id=145

1. Recreating activity: Students break into pairs or trios. Each small group is given materials (sculpted wire, pipe cleaners, toothpicks/skewers) and asked to re-create the sculpture using only the materials given to them. Sculpture must stand on its own.

2. Share and discuss observations about the artwork. D. Groups swap locations (each group spends 20 minutes at each activity).

V. Compare/Contrast Magdalena Abakanowicz’s Bronze Crowd and Mark di Suvero’s

Eviva Amore (15 minutes)http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/art/collection?artistid=3831 http://www.nashersculpturecenter.org/art/collection?artistid=3682 > OR <

Free walk/exploration through garden (10 minutes)

A. Students may join a guided observation of 2 works or Free walk in the garden

B. Record key ideas of comparison and contrast of pieces sketching or writing and sharing with the group the work

VI. Conclusion: “Take-aways” (5 minutes)

UTSW/DMA ART OF OBSERVATIONApril 9, 2015, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.Dallas Museum of Art

Session Six: Objects of Healing // Cultural Understanding about HealingMaterials needed: student journals, pencils, colored pencils, pantone chips (optional), Nkisi Nkondi x-rays, Gothic Bed images and time-lapse,

Objectives: o Explore artistic concepts of line, color, shape, form, texture, pattern, balance and

symmetry o Utilize artistic concepts to close observation, description and group

discussion/interpretation of artworkso Apply visual skills to patient observation using diagnostic images.o Develop skills of group presentation and collaboration with team members. o Discover cultural ideas about healing and well-being through artworks

I. Objects of Healing Across Cultures (60 minutes)A. Nkisi Nkondi

(3rd floor https://www.dma.org/collection/artwork/african/standing-power-figure-nkisi-nkondi)

● Play the Nkisi - take the pose of the figure; discuss stance and power● Look at x-rays on iPad - relate to Nasher Rodin discussion (this is African

sculpture example)● Drum music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMz6e-mRUVY

B. Gothic Bed (4th floor https://www.dma.org/collection/artwork/crawford-riddell/bed)

● Restoration of the Bed; care and restoration of an art object○ Images of restoration, bed puzzle, assembly timelapse

● Idea of bed as a place of rest and healing● Personal storytelling exercise

C. Green Tara (3rd floor https://www.dma.org/collection/artwork/asian/green-tara)

● Sketching exercise - choose three details of this sculpture to sketch (hands, foot, gesture, crown, etc.)

● Green Tara throat chanting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4M0vcyZK1A

● 21 Praises to Tara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3ug0WCgda4

II. Looking and Sharing -- Contemporary Art (30 minutes) A. Gather in the Barrel Vault and Quad GalleriesB. Students look independently -- choose one artwork (10 minutes)

1. Assignment here -- Find an artwork that is X and do Y● Choose an artwork. Make a list of 5 questions you would ask the

artist to know/learn more about the artwork. ● We could pre-determine various metaphors and distribute them

randomly to students:○ choose an artwork that reflects/represents healing○ choose an artwork that reflects/represents energy○ choose an artwork that reflects/represents joy○ choose an artwork that ...

C. Find a partner -- share your artworks with each other

III. Wrap-up and Class Evaluation (30 minutes)A. Gather the group in the Frank Bowling paintings room; spend a

few minutes looking at and discussing Bowling’s work as a group B. Distribute student assessments and give time to completeC. Group discussion based on assessments

RESOURCES:

NKISI NKONDIhttps://www.dma.org/collection/artwork/african/standing-power-figure-nkisi-nkondiAll minkisi (sing. nkisi) are containers for magical substances, or "medicines," that empower them to protect the community or an individual against negative forces. They can, however, also cause misfortune, illness, and death. The containers come in a variety of forms, including cloth bundles, snail shells, clay pots, or sculpted wood figures in animal or human form. The latter type of nkisi is called a power figure. The empowering medicines (bilongo), which were made of vegetal, animal, and mineral elements including dirt from ancestral graves, may be placed atop the nkisi's head, in its belly (mooyo or life), on its back, or in any natural orifice and sealed in place with resin. Each nkisi figure has a special name, a specific pose, a particular

function, and a ritual to activate it. The Dallas nkisi belongs to a class of minkisi called nkondi (pl. minkondi). The term is translated as "hunter" of wrongdoers in matters of civil law; the hunter is simultaneously chief, doctor, priest, and judge.(19) The sculpted wood form of the nkisi nkondi is studded with nails or blades that indicate how often the nkisi had been used.

Power Figure (Nkisi N'Kondi: Mangaaka) | Kongo peoples, Yombe group | The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Kongo Power Figurehttp://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/32005Nkisi N'Kondi: MangaakaKongo Peoples, Chiloango River Region; Democratic Republic of the Congo or AngolaSecond half of the 19th centuryWood, paint, metal, resin, ceramic

Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace, Drs. Daniel and Marian Malcolm, Laura G. and James J. Ross, Jeffrey B. Soref, The Robert T. Wall Family, Dr. and Mrs. Sidney G. Clyman, and Steven Kossak Gifts, 2008

Central African power figures are among the ubiquitous genres identified with African art. Conceived to house specific mystical forces, they were collaborative creations of Kongo sculptors and ritual specialists. This example belongs to the most ambitious class of that tradition, attributed to the atelier of a master active along the coast of Congo and Angola at the end of the nineteenth century and identified with Mangaaka, the preeminent force of jurisprudence. That power was represented as a presiding authority and enforcing lord or king. Its crowning element is the distinctive mpu headdress worn by chiefs or priests. The figure's posture and gesture, leaning forward with hands placed akimbo on the hips, is the aggressive attitude of one who challenges fearlessly. Traces of a missing beard-a sign of seniority-survive in the form of nails along the contours of the chin. There are also vestiges of an abdominal cavity for medicinal matter that originally attracted the figure's defining force. The various metals embedded in the figure's expansive torso attest to its central role as witness and enforcer of affairs critical to its community. They document vows sealed, treaties signed, and efforts to eradicate evil. Ultimately, this work inspired reflection on the consequences of transgressing established codes of social conduct.

GREEN TARAhttps://www.dma.org/collection/artwork/asian/green-tara Syamatara, the “Green Tara,” is one of the most beloved figures in Tibetan Buddhism. As a bodhisattva, she helps people pass beyond the troubles of earthly existence and move toward enlightenment. She also protects people from numerous worldly dangers. The loving expression on the sculpture’s face embodies the Tara’s maternal compassion.

GOTHIC BEDhttps://www.dma.org/collection/artwork/crawford-riddell/bed The Gothic revival bedstead from Rosedown plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana, is one of

the greatest expressions of the Gothic revival style in American furniture known to exist. It

stands not only as a work of great craftsmanship but as a powerful symbol of the political and

social aspirations of the era. The bedstead was commissioned in 1844 by a group of Whig Party

supporters as part of a suite of bedroom furniture destined for the White House with Henry

Clay had he won the election that year. When Clay lost, his good friend Daniel Turnbull, a

wealthy Louisiana cotton planter, purchased the set and brought it to his plantation in St.

Francisville on the Mississippi River. Made in Philadelphia by Crawford Riddell (d. 1849), the

bedstead is the most imposing and highly carved piece in the suite, which originally consisted of

a dressing bureau, a double-door armoire, a cheval mirror, two marble-top washstands, an

octagon table, and six side chairs.