The Art of Observation

On Sunday, April 29, 2012, a group of Einstein students traveled to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in Manhattan, to take part in the “Think Outside the Body” event hosted by the Einstein chapter of the Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS). Led by student members of GHHS, the tour included lively discussions about "observation" while viewing various masterpieces of art, which ranged from an ancient Greek marble torso to Van Dyck’s portrait of Lucas van Uffel from the 17th century.

The event was adapted from a lecture called “Think Outside the Body,” presented earlier this year at Einstein by museum educator and Mount Sinai faculty member, Dr. Rebecca Hirschwerk. During Dr. Hirschwerk’s presentation, students were able to explore the fine arts while discovering a new perspective on the art of viewing the human body.

Both the lecture and the museum trip were organized by the class of 2012 GHHS members to better promote humanism in medicine and to facilitate a better understanding of the art of doctoring.