Women, Art and Medicine explored at St Luke’s Heritage Day
Women, Art and Medicine was the focus of this year’s Heritage Day at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) Annual Symposium – St Luke’s. The ever-popular event opened day two of RCPI’s four-day annual symposium and welcomed over 360 attendees online and in person at No. 6 Kildare Street.
Following the successful launch of RCPI’s Climate and Health Art Competition the previous evening, and building on the popularity of a public exhibition for National Heritage Week, Changing Perceptions: Women of Art and Medicine at RCPI, Heritage Day offered a deeper exploration of the physicians, painters, and patients in RCPI’s collection with a particular focus on the portraits of and by women.
The first session, chaired by Dr Anna Clarke, Fellow and member of RCPI Council, put a spotlight on art and medicine. Prof Ludmilla Jodanova, Emeritus Professor of History and Visual Culture, Durham University, opened the session and gave an insightful talk into the Ways of Seeing: Portraits of Physicians.
Mr Francis Wells, pioneering Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Papworth Hospital, focused on Leonardo da Vinci’s cardiac anatomy which he examined through the eyes of a contemporary cardiac surgeon. During his talk, Mr Wells made the case for da Vinci’s anatomy drawings and dissection notes to be taken seriously as they are accurate and meaningful.
Dr Carole Barry-Kinsella, Consultant Gynaecologist and a member of RCPI Academy, presented a talk on The Interface of Medicine and the Literary Arts where she explored the connection between literary arts and medicine, and concluded that the connecting interface between the two fields is communication.
Art Historian, Dr Kathryn Milligan, opened the second session with her talk Look Again: Women and Portraiture at RCPI where she looked at some of the portraits of and by women in RCPI’s collection. She explored the connection between RCPI and the medical profession with art and society, and highlighted the opportunities to further develop this connection.
Dr Margarita Cappock, Art Historian, Curator and Writer based in Dublin City Arts Office, gave an interesting insight in to Sarah Cecilia Harrison (1863-1914): Artist, Social Campaigner, and City Councillor. Among the artist’s work that Dr Cappock examined during her talk was the portrait of Conolly Norman which is housed at RCPI.
Another artist whose work is housed in RCPI’s collection is Estella Solomons. Niamh MacNally, Curator of the Prints and Drawings Study Room, at the National Gallery of Ireland, explored the life and work of Solomons.
Both sessions were concluded with lively panel discussions where the topic of women, art and medicine was further explored.
The Changing Perceptions: Women of Art and Medicine at RCPI exhibition is available to view online on the RCPI Heritage Centre website.
Photo Gallery