Medical Artistry
This gallery showcases a collection of oil paintings inspired by medical sciences. Delve into each piece and discover the unique story it tells!
2024
This is, so far, the last painting in this collection. I can’t find the words to express how grateful I am to the MDL department for changing my life; it is and always will be the place where I feel at home. To my supervisors Han, Hans, Frederike, and Klaas Nico, and to my colleagues and friends, this painting is a gift for you, for everything you have done for me.
Every part of this artwork has a meaning, which is explained throughout my PhD thesis or can always be discussed with me. But first, try to interpret it for yourself and see what you can discover! I believe this painting, in particular, deserves to be seen in person for all its textures and details.
After my PhD defense, I will explain the story behind this artwork.
2023
It might seem like there is a gap in my stories, but actually, in 2022, I painted an Egyptian-themed piece that is not part of this collection. A lot happened before reaching this point. I started my PhD in the MDL department at the UMCG, which was full of memorable experiences: I met new friends from around the world, improved my English, began learning Dutch, had my first lab experience, travelled to other countries, fulfilled my dream of visiting Egypt, started having bread with cheese for lunch and learned that the bread goes in the freezer, and even changed my main supervisor (an internal joke). And I met him, the owner of this painting.
The painting depicts a butterfly resting on a man’s body, surrounded by a partially starry sky. The stars emanate from the butterfly’s wings and become more sparse as they move away from it. The closer the body is to the butterfly, the more vibrant and colourful it appears. Although the butterfly and the man do not depend on each other, they both radiate light and fill their surroundings with colour when they come together. If you have read my previous paintings, you already know who the butterfly is.
This painting won first place in a local art exposition and currently has a special place at home.
2020 - 2021
I started this painting during my internship in my final year of medical school, so it took me a while to complete. The idea for this painting came to me during my rotation in internal medicine. Without fully understanding its meaning, I began with the external body and the background (which I usually do at the end). For months, my painting was empty inside, and I felt the same way. I was somewhat lost about my future career steps until the MD-PhD program of UdeA-RUG was created, and I started applying for it.
During the application process and while writing my project proposal (mostly in a maternity ward at the hospital), I began filling in the inside of the body with all the colours I had. Instead of painting a heart, I painted a butterfly, symbolizing the transformed person I had become, embracing a new challenge: starting my PhD in the Netherlands.
2019
This year was crucial for me. For over a year before this, I had been struggling with a situation that drained my energy. I won’t delve into the specifics here, but my way of expressing those feelings was through my paintings. I started painting a skeleton, perhaps reflecting how I felt, and I painted a little each time I felt sad. I was very down.
One day, I decided to prove to myself who I truly am, and I began to focus on my own abilities. This was also the year I travelled to Groningen for the first time, which profoundly changed my life. Those who know me are aware of my deep love for this city and the UMCG because it is a place where I feel at peace and where I trust myself to achieve anything I set my mind to. Groningen was a turning point in my life. Upon returning to Colombia, I was a different person. External situations no longer affected me, I trusted myself for who I am, and I began to receive significant recognition in my academic life, which opened up more opportunities in my career.
I continued my painting, and this transformation, symbolized by the monarch butterfly, and the personal growth, represented by the peacock, are captured in this artwork. The tulip represents the Netherlands, the orchid symbolizes Colombia, and the lotus flower signifies the upcoming transformative experiences in my life.
This is one of the few paintings I kept for myself, as a reminder that self-love and self-trust are the tools that will guide me in achieving my goals.
2018
In 2012, my great-grandmother, let’s call her Alice, was diagnosed with a lesion, mass, or hypervascular tumor in her liver, as described in the computed tomography image. Although detailing her entire clinical record isn’t the focus of this story, I remember that Alice presented with ascites and jaundice. The first hospital she went to suggested that she was near death and recommended bringing her home. However, Alice couldn’t eat, and her quality of life did not reflect a dignified end. With little hope, my family sought out other places that might offer her a better quality of life in her final days and found Juan, the owner of this painting. He stepped in and did everything he could to ensure my great-grandmother had a dignified death. It is a long story, but the final clinical note
from the transplant surgeon read, “What did she have then?” because, after the surgery, he could not find the mass, and clinically, Alice recovered. Following this, Alice lived several more years with complete independence and a good life.
In 2018, during my rotation in the outpatient clinic of Hepatology, I was surprised to see the name of my favorite high school teacher on the list of patients. Let’s call him Luis. Luis, who I remembered as cheerful, funny, and very energetic, had lost all his vitality. He was very thin, looked sad, and lacked energy. Luis was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease due to primary sclerosing cholangitis, although this was confirmed later; initially, he had been given only a few days to months to live. Luis came to us for a second opinion, and Juan assured him that he would do his best to help. And he did. Luis underwent a liver transplant, returned to teaching, and now enjoys a beautiful life.
It’s incredible, but in my country, Juan is considered a miracle worker for thousands of people who feel better just by talking to him. To me, the real miracle is how Juan makes people feel heard and dedicates his life to helping them in every way he can. This painting is for him: a black and white figure with a liver filled with bright colors, symbolizing the hope he brings to others.
2016 - 2017
It took me an entire year to complete this artwork. After finishing my first painting, a family friend who is a medical doctor with a love for singing, asked me to create something special for him. Inspired by his passion, I chose to paint a sagittal MRI of the human body, highlighted with the vibrant colours of music.
The large scale of the painting presented a significant challenge for me, which I can say I successfully completed. This was one of my favourite paintings. What moved me most was not just the image itself, but the emotions it expressed.
This project marked a turning point for me, helping me see painting as an integral part of my life. Through this art, I found a powerful way to express and release the emotions I experienced during my medical practice. The contrasting colours in this piece reflect the highs and lows during my studies, capturing the essence of medicine as an art form.
2016
This artwork is my first oil on canvas. From a young age, I dedicated part of my life to theatre, but I had to stop in 2016 due to the demands of my medical studies. This led me to search for a new art hobby that wouldn’t depend on anyone else. And I found it. At my university, it was mandatory to take either sports or art courses, and as those who know me would imagine, I did everything I could to avoid sports. Instead, I enrolled in an oil painting course. Although the course focused more on free expression than technique, it was my first experience with brushes and oil paint.
This painting is the result of that initial exploration, capturing the essence of what eyes can perceive beyond the surface: the imagination reflected in the eyes of the artist as a vivid reality.