‘In My View’ reveals art’s influence

How does art influence a physicist, a physician, a geographer?

Showing that art reaches across disciplines and inspires people of all professions is the goal of a lecture series at the Elvehjem Museum of Art called “In My View.”

The series also showcases the museum’s permanent collection and UW–Madison’s faculty, says Anne Lambert, curator of education at the Elvehjem and creator of “In My View.”

Gary Williams, associate professor of pediatrics, capped the first “In My View” lecture series in September. He delved into the Elvehjem’s collection of sculptures and ceramics to argue that a known medical malady was the basis of ancient Greek artwork.

A lumbar tuft of hair is a rare condition that appears today. In his lecture, Williams argued that the anomaly may have been the basis for the Greek god Pan and other half man, half goat demi-gods known as satyrs or fauns. The demi-gods are depicted with a tail near the curve of their lower back, rather than lower, where an animal’s tail would be. People with the condition, associated with a malformed spinal cord, often have atrophied calf muscles and an irregular gait.

Williams says art has influenced his career in more substantial ways. A college art history class was the first to teach him to be systematically observant, an ability that helps him diagnose diseases today.

Catherine Kautsky, associate professor of music, started the series last February by using late 20th century American art to encourage her music students in a live concert. Yi-Fu Tuan, Vilas Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography, discussed how the 1935 painting “Cable Factory” affected him at different times in his life.

Willy Haeberli, professor of physics, will recommence the lecture series for 2005 with his talk at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9, on the Elvehjem’s fourth floor. He will focus on the broken symmetries in “Wall” by Louise Nevelson.

“There are some obvious connections between art and physics,” Haeberli says. “Visual effects in art relate to physics (e.g. holograms), kinetic sculpture relates to mechanics, manufacture of new pigments (acrylics) relate to chemistry, current video art related to electrical engineering. But at a deeper level, physics does not describe nature per se but is a construct of abstractions, much like contemporary art is a construct of abstractions.”