The Anatomy Table, Sean Caulfield

Artwork Overview

Sean Caulfield, The Anatomy Table
Sean Caulfield, The Anatomy Table
Sean Caulfield
The Anatomy Table
2018
Sean Caulfield
born 1967
The Anatomy Table, 2018
Where object was made: Canada
Material/technique: inkjet print; Plexiglas; drafting film; Photo Tex; screen print
Dimensions:
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): central panel (a) 203 x 61 cm
Sheet/Paper Dimensions (Height x Width): 12 side panels (b-m) 91 x 61 cm
Credit line: Courtesy of the artist
Accession number: EL2020.025.a-m
Not on display
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Images

Label texts

Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body
In response to research on the diverse cultural ideas around the safety and efficacy of vaccines, Sean Caulfield produced The Anatomy Table, a print that combines two layers of images. The first consists of illustrations by the renowned 16th-century anatomist Andreas Vesalius, whose work you can see in the next gallery. The title of the work and presentation of the central figure lying flat and exposed further recall the careful dissections Vesalius is known for performing. The second layer comprises Caulfield’s own fantastical drawings inspired by scientific descriptions of viruses. By juxtaposing these two sources and uniting them visually, Caulfield invites us to consider the problematic divide between scientific/objective/empirical and cultural/emotional/artistic representations of the body.
Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body
In response to research on the diverse cultural ideas around the safety and efficacy of vaccines, Sean Caulfield produced The Anatomy Table, a print that combines two layers of images. The first consists of illustrations by the renowned 16th-century anatomist Andreas Vesalius, whose work you can see in the next gallery. The title of the work and presentation of the central figure lying flat and exposed further recall the careful dissections Vesalius is known for performing. The second layer comprises Caulfield’s own fantastical drawings inspired by scientific descriptions of viruses. By juxtaposing these two sources and uniting them visually, Caulfield invites us to consider the problematic divide between scientific/objective/empirical and cultural/emotional/artistic representations of the body.

Exhibitions

Healing, Knowing, Seeing the Body
Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
2021

Resources

Links