Where Dissection and Écorché Intersect

Melinda Whitmore, MFA

&

David Morris, MD

De Humani corporis fabrica. Jan Stephan van Calcar for Andreas Vesalius. 1543

“Écorché”, from the French word “flayed” refers to drawings or sculptures of the body with the skin removed. Dissections were common during the Renaissance. Illustrations of such dissections were important for explaining medical phenomenon; such illustrations have remained important for multiple other reasons. For figurative artists studying anatomy, using an écorché approach or sculpting a human form in clay from the inside out (ie. starting with the skeleton and adding musculature) had become common by the 19th century. To this day écorché remains an important component of teaching anatomy in rigorous art programs that focus on realistic, figurative work.

This discussion combines the perspectives of a plastic surgeon and an instructor in drawing, painting, and anatomy. Both have taught artistic anatomy at the medical school level. They will address the history of dissection as it relates to écorché and the relevance of each for the current student of art, medicine, or surgery.

Please join us for a this special lecture by Melinda Whitmore, MFA & David Morris, MD, presented as a part of The Artistry of Plastic Surgery exhibit.

Melinda Whitmore, MFA

Instructor of Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Anatomy

Assistant Adjunct Professor, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Co-Founder The Vitruvian Studio Chicago, IL

David Morris, MD

Professor

Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgery

The Craniofacial Center

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chief, Plastic Surgical Services

Shriners Children’s Chicago

Title Images:

1. & 3.: De Humani corporis fabrica. Jan Stephan van Calcar for Andreas Vesalius. 1543

2.: Full-figure Écorché. Melinda Whitmore

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