How art can help you analyze - Amy E. Herman

There's a prevailing attitude

that art doesn't matter in the real world.

But the study of art can enhance our perception

and our ability to translate to others what we see.

Those skills are useful.

Those skills can save lives.

Doctors, nurses, and law enforcement agents

can use painting, sculpture, and photography

as tools to improve their visual acuity

and communication skills,

which are critical

during investigations and emergencies.

If you're treating an injury,

investigating a crime scene,

or trying to describe either of those things

to a colleague,

art can make you better at it.

Here, imagine you're a seasoned cop

or a dedicated doctor,

but also imagine you are at a museum

and let's look at a painting.

Rene Magritte's "Time Transfixed" of 1938

depicts a mysterious and complex interior

that invites analysis

not unlike that required of a patient's symptoms

or the scene of a crime.

A miniature train whose origin

and destination are unknown

is emerging from a fireplace,

and the smoke from the locomotive

appears to flow up the chimney

as if from the fire

that is conspicuously absent below.

The eeriness of the scene

is echoed in the empty living room,

enhanced by wood-grain floors

and decorative wall moldings

to the right of the fireplace.

Perched atop the mantelpiece

are two candlesticks and a clock.

Behind these objects is a large mirror

that reveals an empty interior

and only a partial reflection

of the objects before it.

The juxtaposition of the objects

surrounding the moving train

raises numerous questions

for which there seem to be no apparent answers.

Did I summarize the painting accurately

or leave any details out?

It's no big deal

if you see something else in a painting,

but what if we're both seasoned cops?

I call you for back-up.

You show up only to realize

the two bank robbing ninjas I'd mentioned

were actually six bank robbing ninjas with lasers.

Close study of art can train viewers

to study thoroughly,

analyze the elements observed,

articulate them succinctly,

and formulate questions

to address the seeming inconsistencies.

Scrutinizing the details

of an unfamiliar scene,

in this case the work of art,

and accurately conveying

any observable contradictions

is a critically important skill

for both people who look at x-rays

and those who interrogate suspects.

Let's interrogate this painting, shall we?

Okay, Magritte, that's quite a little picture you've painted.

But why aren't there any train tracks?

Why no fire?

What happened to the candles?

Why doesn't the fireplace

have a little tunnel for the train?

It just comes straight through the wall.

And the clock says

it's about quarter to one,

but I'm not sure the light

that comes through the window at an angle

says it's just past noontime.

What's this painting all about, anyway?

That's when you, my trusty partner,

hold me back,

then I leave.

You give Magritte a cup of coffee

and keep grilling him

to see if this painting would hold up in court.

Viewers can provide a more detailed

and accurate description of a situation

by articulating what is seen

and what is not seen.

This is particularly important in medicine.

If an illness is evidenced by three symptoms

and only two are present in a patient,

a medical professional must explicitly state

the absence of that third symptom,

signifying that the patient

may not have the condition suspected.

Articulating the absence of a specific detail or behavior

known as the pertinent negative

is as critical as stating

the details and behaviors that are present

in order to treat the patient.

And conspicuous absences are only conspicuous

to eyes trained to look for them.

Art teaches professionals

across a wide spectrum of fields

not only how to ask more effective questions

about what cannot be readily answered,

but also, and more importantly,

how to analyze complex, real world situations

from a new and different perspective,

ultimately solving difficult problems.

Intense attention to detail,

the ability to take a step back

and look differently,

we want first responders to have the analytical skills

of master art historians at least.

Art trains us to investigate,

and that's a real world skill if there ever was one.