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ART AND
MEDICINE

The Art of Examination:

Medical School and Art Museum Partnerships

By Bonnie Pitman

Throughout the Thirty first- and second-year medical students from UT South-
country, medical western Medical School gather in the European Gallery at The Dal-
schools have added las Museum of Art to look at the “Abduction of Europa” by Jean
courses to help Baptiste Marie Pierre, created in 1750. A series of deep looking ex-
medical students, ercises follow as the students look closely at the painting for 90 sec-
interns, residents onds in silence. Then the students are asked to turn away from the
and fellows look at painting and record everything that they remember seeing in their
works of art and in journals. We invite students to return to looking at the painting and
turn relate that to discuss its compositional and narrative elements and share what they
their own profes- have written in their journals. What part of the painting first caught
sional practices.
These innovative
programs bring
medical students
into direct contact
with works of art
and develop obser-
vation, interpreta-
tive, empathic and
collaborative skills
to enhance their
clinical diagnosis
and practices. The
art museum and
medical school
partnerships at
leading institutions
in the U.S. and abroad improve and advocate these programs and
demonstrate they are a bridge between the arts and sciences.

A beautiful young girl rides gracefully on the back of a bull
swimming out to sea. She is surrounded by a glistening blue sky
with floating putti and garlands on one side and by an ominous
eagle and dark clouds on the other. In the rough dark waters at
Europa’s feet mermen, nymphs and sea creatures support her. The
painting “Abduction of Europa” in the collection of The Dallas
Museum of Art is an excellent introduction of compositional ele-
ments and diverse interpretations of its narrative.

14 San Antonio Medicine • July 2017