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 Art Historian Çağlayan Hergül Shared His Opinions on “The Healing Power of Art in Health Week”


Çağlayan Hergül, Art Historian of the Department of Communication and Design, expressed his thoughts on “The Healing Power of Art in Health Week”.


April 7, World Health Day, was declared by the World Health Organization in 1948, and then this special day is organized to cover a week between April 7-13. Various health-related organizations are held around the world during the designated days. The main purpose here is to draw attention to the issue of health and to create sensitivity to the issue.
 
The depiction of health on the axis of art and science
 
Art and science are intertwined concepts. Both are in the trouble of proof, one is the proof of the feelings and the other is the proof of the thoughts. The artist is after the proof of his inner world, the proof of the observations and experiments of the scientist. A similar impression emerges when we think in the field of health. Leonardo da Vinci offers us the most striking example of this. He may not be a medic, but he made the earliest scientific drawings on human anatomy in an artistic style. He may not be a scientist, but he has brought science and art together. Leonardo is not a mathematician, but he is an artist who tries to prove the principle of infinity and shows a scientist's reflex. A similar situation can be seen in Rembrandt Van Rijn's "Dr. Tulp's Anatomy Lesson", he described the cadaver examination in detail in medical school. Today, the medical painting emerges as a considerable field of study. One of our important values in this regard is Prof. Dr. Ahmet's Exam. From an opposite point of view, he may not be a painter, but he is a medical painter with his medical identity.
In this article, on the axis of art and health science, a window is opened to the awareness of the concept of health, starting from the identity of an artist. In the window that opens, it will be seen how the disadvantages of artists in terms of health turn into an advantage through art.
Awareness and acceptance of health problems is a groundbreaking personal revolution. Isn't that what being healthy is all about?
 
To tell the truth, the great artists above have taught us that there can be differences in today's plastic arts and even in the visual world. This is an undeniable fact. The sources of their differences come from accepting their truths. A large part of society still does not give up making various ascriptions for people with cataracts. Synesthetics, in particular, are severely reticent. However, when they speak their language, they fall out. As an art historian, as you listen to these experiences, it is impossible not to admire this brain structure. Richard Kytowic goes to dinner with a painter friend and says, “The chickens weren't cooked the way I wanted because I can't see the rings on them.” Shocked, Kytowic learns that his friend is a synesthetic, and is devoted to the subject. His problem is to explain to society that people with this type of brain structure are normal. Neurologist and writer Kytowic wants society to be aware of its health, in a way. To be a healthier society, this gigantic organism is expected to see its shortcomings and make peace with them.
 
 
Health comes from awakening awareness and acceptance. I wish everyone a healthy week full of awareness.