If you haven't yet checked out Himmelfarb’s 37th annual art show, you still have until Thursday, May 15th!
This year's entries range from photography, charcoal, ink, knitting, mixed media and more. At this semester-end, come take a study break and peruse the work of your fellow students, staff, and faculty.
But for now, check out a sampling of pieces with the artist's own commentary.
Luke Diasio's "Dreamer" [Acrylic]
While everyone may look back on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy now fondly, it's important to remember how deeply controversial a figure he was during his time. At his death, most Americans viewed him negatively as a radical communist for his civil justice, anti-Vietnam, and pro-worker beliefs. It takes deep courage and conviction to say the right thing in the wrong times. He once said "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhumane." Deep injustice remains systemic in healthcare, but now it is up to us to address these problems. The work continues. This painting was made in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
- Luke Diasio, SMHS
Kelechi Enwereuzor's "Occipital Pokémon" [Digital]
This piece was originally created as an assignment for my Neuroscience course during my second week in the occupational therapy program. We were asked to creatively represent at least two brain lobes and their functions, and I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate Pokémon since it’s what first got me into drawing. For the occipital lobe, I chose Hoothoot because not only is it an owl, which I often associate with eyes, but it’s also a Pokémon known for its big eyes, which ties in the function of the occipital lobe which is processing visual information. I drew the base by hand on paper and then brought it into a digital format to color and shade.
- Kelechi Enwereuzor, Occupational Therapy
Nanami Miyazaki's "Slow Burn" [Colored Pencil]
I’ve always been interested in drawing people, playing with light and shadow to evoke particular emotions. With “slow burn”, the man’s expression is ambiguous and lends itself to different interpretations. I’m curious to see what people take away from this piece, whether it’s feeling the exhaustion of ending a workday, the calm of reflecting on your own thoughts or simply appreciating the warm colors of the piece.
- Nanami Miyazaki, SMHS
Ragheb Khalidi's "The Funny Stance" [Digital]
Drawing has been a hobby of mine for as long as I can remember, especially cartoony-looking things with bold lines and distinct shapes. This digital piece features a stegosaurus guy I made, who I've been meaning to feature in a piece for a while. I find dynamic, sometimes exaggerated poses fun to draw, so I decided to give him a silly pose, which seemed like a natural fit. I also thought it was funny. In addition to being a relaxing pastime, drawing is something I try having fun with, so I often just create things I think look cool or make me laugh. This piece is another one of those times.
- Ragheb Khalidi, Public Health
Basil Considine's "My Summer Vacation" [Digital]
To me, the most impressive aspect of medical school is learning about the people – the things that they’ve done, the things they continue to do, and the things that you know they’ll do after. When you have a student body that includes Olympic athletes, Fulbright scholars, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and inventors – and more! – gathered for the common pursuit of medicine, you see a lot of things that might be extraordinary for everyone else, but are completely normal for them.
My Summer Vacation is a visual paean of sorts to my life outside of medicine (or, at least, some aspects of it that I rather enjoy). I worked for a Fine Arts department as an undergraduate, and learned all sorts of skills on the job about photo development and processing, graphic design, Photoshop, etc, etc. Sometimes this comes up in class, where I’ll take a few minutes to design an infographic to illustrate a topic we’re discussing, or when a professor asks me to “spruce up” an image for publication. (I also take photos for a lot of university events and some publications.)
The actual event captured in My Summer Vacation is my conducting the world premiere of an opera. (Everyone needs a hobby.) But what is the essence of what we see? Filter and delete the light, and yet each person is distinct. Reduce the background to architectural lines, and yet the sense of space is still clear. The way that seeing less shows you more is paradoxical, and yet a fundamental principle of focus and composition in painting, photography, and more.
- Basil Considine, SMHS
Soneha Datta's "Heart Attached" [Woodblock Print]
I am the intersection of seemingly unrelated fields: Medicine and Art, and I wanted to make a piece that felt fully representative of me in that limbo. South Asians are heavily affected by heart disease, my own family being predisposed to it. Because of this, it is an issue close to my heart, thus the imagery I wanted to explore through woodblock printing. I was additionally inspired by the cycle of healing and growth. Specifically, the artwork shows engineered heart cells, the heart tissue damaged by a heart attack, and a heart undergoing the attack. The piece also shows levels of organization from cells to tissues to the organ itself.
- Soneha Datta, Public Health, Fine Arts
Juan'Nique B. Campbell's "Perfect" [Acrylic]
I am a self-taught growing artist but I have never attempted an art piece that featured humans because I was always fearful that it would not look accurate or right. "Perfect" was a piece that was started with the intention of being a complete portrait and as a challenge to myself to get over my perfectionism. But as I kept attempting the features of this individual in my painting, I found that I was constantly restarting due to my dissatisfaction. I turned the challenge of the project around but with the same theme. I challenged myself to accept the painting to be done as is, even if not a perfect portrait.
- Juan'Nique B. Campbell, Occupational Therapy
Aparna Nanduru's "Yin and Fin" [Ink]
This artwork is inspired by the South Asian art form 'Madhubani art,' which originated in Bihar and parts of Nepal. The use of geometric patterns and 2D style is central to this type of artwork, which features depictions of Hindu mythology, nature, and social and cultural scenery. My drawing depicts a different take on Yin and Yang, where the two fish are the same white color, showing peace, purity, and oneness, which is a core tenet of Hindu philosophy.
- Aparna Nanduru, SMHS
Yewande Sofola's "Untitled" [Acrylic]
This untitled piece is a finger painting that I created when I was in high school. At the time, I was inspired by the artist Iris Scott, who creates large canvas paintings done entirely with her fingers. Her methods are reminiscent of child-like exploration and her paintings always have unexpected elements of color, which I tried to emulate by adding yellow streaks to the ocean. This method de-emphasizes perfection in place of nostalgic whimsy.
- Yewande Sofola, Occupational Therapy
