Deciphering the "David Sign": Intersections in esthetic surgery and renaissance sculpture.

Spotlighting a 500-year-old detail in Michelangelo's "David," this paper delves into the intricate connection between technique and art in the medical field, especially in esthetic surgery. With rapid technological advancement, medical specialties are becoming increasingly segmented, leading to potential oversights in holistic human examination. Drawing from ancient Greek concepts, "Techne," "Ars," and "Episteme" are explored as symbolic representations of the convergence of skill and knowledge. Art, defined as a reflection of human creativity and emotion, was historically intertwined with science, as symbolized by the nine Muses. The Renaissance period, exemplified by works like "David," underlines the profound relationship between art and anatomy. Dr. Gelfman's observations on the "David sign" serve as a testament to the continuous dance between medical science and artistic representation. This paper underscores the timeless value of a comprehensive approach in medical practice, urging professionals to amalgamate technical precision with an artistic understanding of the human form. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, opinion expert.

Biofilm colonization of stone materials from an Australian outdoor sculpture: Importance of geometry and exposure.

The safeguarding of Australian outdoor stone heritage is currently limited by a lack of information concerning mechanisms responsible for the degradation of the built heritage. In this study, the bacterial community colonizing the stone surface of an outdoor sculpture located at the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Melbourne was analysed, providing an overview of the patterns of microbial composition associated with stone in an anthropogenic context. Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA gene sequencing together with confocal laser microscope investigations highlighted the bacterial community was composed of both phototrophic and chemotrophic microorganisms characteristic of stone and soil, and typical of arid, salty and urban environments. Cardinal exposure, position and surface geometry were the most important factors in determining the structure of the microbial community. The North-West exposed areas on the top of the sculpture with high light exposure gave back the highest number of sequences and were dominated by Cyanobacteria. The South and West facing in middle and lower parts of the sculpture received significantly lower levels of radiation and were dominated by Actinobacteria. Proteobacteria were observed as widespread on the sculpture. This pioneer research provided an in-depth investigation of the microbial community structure on a deteriorated artistic stone in the Australian continent and provides information for the identification of deterioration-associated microorganisms and/or bacteria beneficial for stone preservation.

Inheritance and Innovation of Pottery Sculpture Technique in Shiwan, China: A Grounded Study from Cultural Ecology.

Ceramics play an important role in human daily life and production practice. Pottery sculpture technique is the core of ceramic making. However, the production process of traditional ceramics is accompanied by high pollution, which has a great impact on human health and the ecological environment. Rapid development of industrialization has exacerbated this consequence. As the "Pottery Capital of Southern China", Foshan has been involved in environmental crises while relying on the ceramic industry to develop. Since the 21st century, Foshan has gradually successfully driven to upgrade the city from industrial to culture-led by carrying out positive innovations in Shiwan pottery sculpture technique. Therefore, based on the theoretical perspective of cultural ecology, this paper selects Shiwan pottery sculpture technique as the object, uses Python (Octopus Collector) to obtain data, and applies grounded theory to generate the ecological evolution model. This study discussed how the Shiwan pottery sculpture technique promotes the harmonious coexistence of human beings, industries, and cities in the new cultural ecological environment of the 21st century by exploring and clarifying the interaction and function of different elements in different stages of evolution. Finally, this study not only makes up for the current lack of research on Shiwan's cultural ecology, but also provides meaningful reference for environmental reform in other industrialized cities.

Dr. Vladimir Fortunato (1885-1938), once lauded but now obscure Russian-American medical model sculptor.

Arriving to the United States in 1921, Dr. Vladimir Fortunato (1885-1938) was a respected and celebrated figure responsible for creating striking medical models and anatomical sculptures. Although Dr. Fortunato was well connected and worked for some of the United States' most prestigious medical institutions, his legacy, achievements, and creations have all but vanished from the annals of American medical history. In an effort to establish a more defined profile of this obscure man's life and lifework, this article draws on scant information provided by a range of sources, including academic journal articles, obituaries, and physician autobiography. In the present-day era of digital imaging technologies, Dr. Fortunato's lifelike sculptures represent a bygone age of medical visualization that embraced both utility and beauty.

Sculpting the Glauberg "prince". A traceological research of the Celtic sculpture and related fragments from the Glauberg (Hesse, Germany).

Article presents the results of a complex traceological research of the famous statue of the "prince"of Glauberg, found in an Early La Tène funeral complex in Glauberg (Hesse). Research focused also on two other fragments of related sandstone sculptures, found together with the Glauberger prince. The sandstone "prince"of Glauberg was already in the past a subject of many archaeological studies. Nevertheless, all or absolute majority of them were focused on aspects of art historian nature or on the question of the origin, role and function of such sculptures in the Early Iron Age Central Europe. On the contrary, the aim of our research is oriented exclusively on the questions related to the manufacture of this sculpture, identification of used sculptor´s tools and applied working techniques. Our research was realised by means of digital documentation followed by the aplication of traceological methods. The character of the survived working traces on the sculpture´s surfaces was studied by mechanoscopy, while the material of used tools was determined by X-ray fluorescence. The reconstructions of used tools were compared with the existing tools as represented by the Iron Age archaeological finds. This comparison was oriented on the most relevant regions of developed La Tène culture, particularly on South Western Germany and Bohemia. However, also other relevant area, significant as the possible source of inspiration of Celtic sculptors for the creation of the monumental sculpture-Apennine peninsula, was taken into consideration. Our research revealed individual steps and phases during the sculpture´s manufacture, enabled the reconstrucion of used tools and confirmed real existence of such tools in mentioned regions. Finally it has brought first indices of the necessity of the distinguishing between ideological and technological aspects of related Celtic sculpture, when considering possible influence of Apennine peninsula on transalpine Central Europe.

Biocontamination and diversity of epilithic bacteria and fungi colonising outdoor stone and mortar sculptures.

Microbial communities colonising outdoor sculptures form intricate and dynamic ecosystems, which can accelerate the deterioration processes of the artworks and pose challenges to their conservation. In this study, the bacterial and fungal communities colonising the surfaces of five contemporary outdoor sculptures were characterised by high-throughput sequencing. The sculptures, made of marble, granite, Ançã limestone and mortar, are in urban parks and squares in the district of Porto, Portugal. The analysis of the microbial populations revealed great taxonomic diversity and species richness, including in well-preserved sculptures showing few visible traces of contamination. Proteobacteria, namely the genera Pseudomonas and Sphingomonas, were the core taxa common to all the sculptures, while Massilia and Aureobasidium were dominant only in granite. An abundance of pigment-producing microorganisms, such as Deinococcus, Methylobacterium, Rhodotorula and Sporobolomyces, was also found in granite. These are relevant taxonomic groups that can negatively impact stone and mortar artworks. The study was complemented with colourimetric analyses and bioluminescence assays to measure the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) content of samples collected from specific contaminated areas of the sculptures. The characterisation of the microbiomes of sculptures can provide further knowledge on the deterioration risks of this type of artwork in the region and help outline future targeted conservation strategies. KEY POINTS: • Rich and abundant microbiomes expose sculptures' vulnerability to deterioration. • Well-preserved sculptures are at risk of deterioration by pigment-producing taxa. • ATP and colourimetry quickly identified the most relevant contaminated areas.

A pan-European art trade in the late middle ages: Isotopic evidence on the master of Rimini enigma.

The identity of artists and localisation of workshops are rarely known with certainty before the mid-15th century. We investigated the material used by one of the most prolific and enigmatic medieval sculptors, the Master of the Rimini Altarpiece or Master of Rimini, active around 1420-40. The isotope fingerprints (Sr, S and O) of a representative corpus of masterpieces but also minor artworks, attributed to the Master of Rimini and his workshop, are virtually identical, demonstrating the unity of the corpus and a material evidence behind the stylistic and iconographic ascriptions. The material used is exclusively Franconian (N-Bavarian) alabaster, 600 km distant from the supposed zone of activity of the Master of Rimini workshop according to recent literature. The same material was later used by the prominent Late Medieval German carver Tilman Riemenschneider, active in Würzburg after 1483, whose small corpus of alabaster sculptures we have been able to characterize almost entirely. Based on these findings, we propose here an alternative to the prevailing hypothesis of a Flemish or N-French workshop being founded on similarities of the Rimini sculpture with motives in Flemish and French painting. Our scenario, returning to the initial proposal of a German localisation of the Master of Rimini workshop, assumes the migration of an artist, perhaps trained in the Low Countries or strongly inspired by the Flemish art, to Southern Germany where he founded a highly productive export workshop, well situated on the crossroads of medieval trade, with a pan-European radiance. This study sheds a spotlight on the on the trade networks of luxury goods, the raw material used for their production, and the high-end art market in Europe as well as on international migration of artists and styles, at the eve of the Renaissance.

Nathalie Miebach: Sculpted Data Infused With Craftsmanship.

As a fascinating artist compelled by craftsmanship, Nathalie Miebach's prodigious art production spans across different practices and interests including sculpture, music, and the intersection of art-science with the visual articulation of scientific observations. In reviewing her work to date, we noticed many themes that we believed our readership might benefit from when considering for their own work practices. We were curious to find out more about her process and perspective. She had much to say on the matter as can be read in the interview with Nathalie that follows.

CERAMIC transmission 2020.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic 2020 we have experienced so much of our lives through our computer and phone screens - including the 1,787,366 people have shared the image of the Mona Lisa on social media. I consider how we can design artworks to communicate digitally utilising a range of senses testing the notion that if you enable visitors to galleries and museums to touch sculptures it should enable greater understanding about complex ideas. The focus of my artworks was the history of the transmission of disease. I original designed ceramic sculptures that incorporated touch sensitive electronic sound components. Touching objects and visiting galleries became off limits during the pandemic so the touch hypothesis could not be tested, and instead QR codes were used to allow the digital viewer to extend their experience beyond the visual. The project started as an art in science experiment in incorporating sound, sight and touch into sculpture, but finally became my personal memorial to 2020 pandemic and a tribute to the many we have lost to Covid-19.

The surprise element: A hallmark of creativity in scientists, artists, and comedians.

Truly creative works of science and art produce unexpected and surprising results-just like the punch line of a good joke that generates an unfamiliar twist on a familiar idea. Surprise stimulates curiosity, which triggers a search to reveal the mystery of things unknown.

Una escultura de Juan José Sicre Vélez para honrar al doctor Carlos J. Finlay Barrés / One sculpture of Juan José Sicre Vélez to honor Doctor Carlos J. Finlay Barrés

Los artistas cubanos han dedicado obras de variados géneros para homenajear al doctor Carlos J. Finlay Barrés y su meritorio trabajo investigativo sobre la fiebre amarilla, enfermedad causante de epidemias y defunciones, en su época, en Cuba y otros países. Las artes plásticas tienen una sustancial impronta en reconocimientos al sabio, lo que hace usual su presencia en obras escultóricas del paisaje urbanístico cubano. Entre estas, se destaca por su belleza y localización, la del escultor Juan J. Sicre Vélez. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo contribuir al conocimiento de la obra escultórica dedicada por Sicre al sabio y destacar su trascendental significación para la medicina y la ciencia cubana. La escultura y su temática por su significación para la medicina y la ciencia realzan la identidad cultural de la nación cubana. Su emplazamiento en áreas del Hospital Militar Central Dr. Carlos J. Finlay, en Marianao, tiene simbolismo por ser la localidad donde Finlay desarrolló la mayor parte de las investigaciones conducentes a su teoría sobre el modo de contagio y el agente transmisor de la fiebre amarilla. La obra escultórica es también un hermoso homenaje a los médicos y trabajadores de la salud que prestan servicios médicos humanitarios en Cuba y en otros países. Por su contenido estético y temático, la escultura es un estimable recurso didáctico para desarrollar las estrategias educativas en la formación del personal de la salud(AU)

Cuban artists have dedicated works of various genres to honor Dr. Carlos J. Finlay Barrés and his meritorious investigative work on yellow fever, a disease that causes epidemics and deaths, in its time, in Cuba and other countries. The plastic arts have a substantial mark in recognizing the sage, which makes their presence usual in sculptural works of the Cuban urban landscape. Among these, the one of the sculptor Juan J. Sicre Vélez stands out for its beauty and location. This work aims to contribute to the knowledge of the sculptural work dedicated by Sicre to the sage and highlight its transcendental significance for Cuban medicine and science. The sculpture and its theme due to its significance for medicine and science enhance the cultural identity of the Cuban nation. Its location in areas of the Central Military Hospital Dr. Carlos J. Finlay, in Marianao, has symbolism for being the town where Finlay developed most of the research leading to his theory on the mode of contagion and the transmitting agent of yellow fever. The sculptural work is also a beautiful tribute to the doctors and health workers who provide humanitarian medical services in Cuba and in other countries. Due to its aesthetic and thematic content, sculpture is a valuable didactic resource to develop educational strategies in the training of health personnel(AU)

The Evolution of 3D Anatomical Models: A Brief Historical Overview.

For thousands of years, anatomical models have served as essential tools in medical instruction. While human dissections have been the regular source of information for medical students for the last few centuries, the scarcity of bodies and the religious and social taboos of previous times made the process of acquiring human cadavers a challenge. The dissection process was dependent on the availability of fresh cadavers and thus was met with a major time constraint; with poor preservation techniques, decomposition turned the process of employing bodies for instruction into a race against time. However, the advent of anatomical models has countered this issue by supplying accurate anatomical detail in a physical, three-dimensional form superior to that of the two-dimensional illustrations previously used as the primary adjunct to dissection. Artists worked with physicians and anatomists to prepare these models, creating an interdisciplinary interaction that advanced anatomical instruction at a tremendous rate. These models have taken the form of metal, wood, ivory, wax, papier-mâché, plaster, and plastic and have ultimately evolved into computerized and digital representations currently. We provide a brief historical overview of the evolution of anatomical models from a unique neuroanatomical perspective.