Neuroscience
Chicago Cultural Center
78 E. Washington Street
Chicago, IL 60602
While I was in Chicago for the CNS Meeting, I saw the Morbid Curiosity exhibit:
The exhibition also includes an extensive Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) section, a small Rembrandt, Albrech Durer's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1518 woodcut), the humorous My Portrait in 1960 (James Ensor, 1888), Death and the Woman by Käthe Kollwitz [who may have had Alice in Wonderland syndrome], and a very memorable mixed media piece by Steve Dilworth:
Even more gruesome, however, was this sculpture made entirely of wax (and other artificial materials):
Check out the great blog for Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection to see more morbid images!
- Sci-artist Laura Splan
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- Blood Flow And Art
Quinn's blood head (above image from artnet.com) is part of a collection of Lego recreations of major moments in contemporary fine art history by The Little Artists. It features Marc Quinn's sculpture Self, famous as the "blood head." Made with...
- 10 Least Popular Posts Of 2012
While everyone else rings in the New Year by commemorating the best and brightest of 2012 in formulaic Top Ten lists, The Neurocritic decided to wallow in shame. To mark this Celebration of Failure I have compiled a Bottom Ten list, the year's least...
- Scrumptious Skulls
Image from Cakehead Loves Evil. Marina Malvada is a painter, musician and chocolatier who makes anatomically correct skulls out of the finest imported chocolate. How does she get them to look so realistic? The confections are cast from an actual human...
- Neuroradiology As Art
Crucifixion, by Francis Bacon (1933). Crucifixion (1933) (oil on canvas) was subsequently purchased by Sir Michael Sadler (who, other than friends or relations, was the first to buy a painting), and who also commissioned a second version, Crucifixion...
Neuroscience
Morbidly Curious Blog
Chicago Cultural Center78 E. Washington Street
Chicago, IL 60602
Skull Table
While I was in Chicago for the CNS Meeting, I saw the Morbid Curiosity exhibit:
The exhibition explores the ways in which artists and cultures use skulls, bones and skeletons to explore human experiences and perceptions of mortality. Our awareness of death while we are still alive gives shape and meaning to our existence. Mortality is a universal theme in all arts, found repeatedly throughout time and across many cultures. The human body in skeleton form is a rich source of inspiration for contemporary artists as it was for our ancestors, from ancient civilization to the present.
As it is experienced here, the human skeleton represent more than the death. It reveals our shared identity as a species, our most profound common denominator. Signs of race, gender, status and identity melt away. Comntemporary artists use this aspect of the skeleton as an image to represent the ways in which human beings physically interact with the worlds..
Ancient trephined Skull
Pre-Columbian / 16th century human skull with brown patina
Pre-Columbian / 16th century human skull with brown patina
The exhibition also includes an extensive Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) section, a small Rembrandt, Albrech Durer's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1518 woodcut), the humorous My Portrait in 1960 (James Ensor, 1888), Death and the Woman by Käthe Kollwitz [who may have had Alice in Wonderland syndrome], and a very memorable mixed media piece by Steve Dilworth:
Hanging Figure [close-up]
1979 / Human skeleton, heart, liver, meat, horsehair, seagrass
1979 / Human skeleton, heart, liver, meat, horsehair, seagrass
Even more gruesome, however, was this sculpture made entirely of wax (and other artificial materials):
Are You Still Mad at Me? By John Isaacs
2001 / steel, wax, artificial blood, mixed media
2001 / steel, wax, artificial blood, mixed media
John Isaacs is interested in the physical functioning of the human body, and this figure is shocking in its realism. Isaacs studied biology and once created a replica of his own body in the style of a wax anatomical model. This modern reinterpretation of the vanitas theme emphasizes the fragility of the human body.
Check out the great blog for Morbid Curiosity: The Richard Harris Collection to see more morbid images!
- Sci-artist Laura Splan
I see in my referrer log that somebody found this blog by Googling for "art made with blood." What a handy coincidence… I've recently discovered the innovative work of artist Laura Splan, who creates 2D and 3D pieces with materials as diverse as...
- Blood Flow And Art
Quinn's blood head (above image from artnet.com) is part of a collection of Lego recreations of major moments in contemporary fine art history by The Little Artists. It features Marc Quinn's sculpture Self, famous as the "blood head." Made with...
- 10 Least Popular Posts Of 2012
While everyone else rings in the New Year by commemorating the best and brightest of 2012 in formulaic Top Ten lists, The Neurocritic decided to wallow in shame. To mark this Celebration of Failure I have compiled a Bottom Ten list, the year's least...
- Scrumptious Skulls
Image from Cakehead Loves Evil. Marina Malvada is a painter, musician and chocolatier who makes anatomically correct skulls out of the finest imported chocolate. How does she get them to look so realistic? The confections are cast from an actual human...
- Neuroradiology As Art
Crucifixion, by Francis Bacon (1933). Crucifixion (1933) (oil on canvas) was subsequently purchased by Sir Michael Sadler (who, other than friends or relations, was the first to buy a painting), and who also commissioned a second version, Crucifixion...