The Use of Visual Arts in Raising Awareness among the Audience About Colorectal Cancers

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Doctoral student of Art Research, Faculty of Arts, Department of Atr Research and History, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of General Surgery. Faculty of medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Baqiyatallah, Tehran, Iran

10.22124/ira.2024.29189.1041

Abstract

Introduction: The prevalence of colorectal diseases, including colorectal cancer, is increasing day by day, and the average age of onset is decreasing. Raising public awareness to prevent and recognize this disease significantly impacts and reduces the morbidity and mortality of affected individuals. One way to raise awareness is to represent the concept of the disease through works of art, especially visual arts such as painting, sculpture, photography, and installation. Medicine and art share common goals in some areas, such as anatomy, where both artists and physicians seek to understand the body's anatomy. Just as Renaissance artists like da Vinci and Michelangelo played a role in the development of anatomy with their experiences, and since then, the proportions of the human body have become important in art academies; art can be used as a tool to inform the public about internal body anatomy and the recognition of diseases such as colorectal cancer. Therefore, this research emphasizes the concept of a conscious body, assuming the content of a work of art about understanding body anatomy with the goal of recognizing a type of disease for the audience, it leads to prevention and addresses the relationship between form content and the transmission of health messages in works of art. With the question of how awareness of colorectal cancer is represented through works of art, with the goal of correctly conveying health-oriented messages and awareness about internal organs and colorectal cancer, in the stages of conducting the research, the disease under study is first introduced, then the representation of the concepts of the disease through painting, sculpture, installation, and photography is described and analyzed.
Background: The use of fine arts in medicine has a long history; however, there are still gaps in the awareness and connection between art and medicine. Most interdisciplinary research has been conducted in the field of art therapy or the use of creative arts in medical education. However, no independent research has been conducted on the use of visual arts in medicine to raise public awareness with an emphasis on the disease.
Research Methodology: This is a qualitative, descriptive-analytical study with an interdisciplinary approach between art and medicine, focusing on the central phenomenon of internal body anatomy related to colorectal cancers. Data collection includes field notes based on observation, interviews, visual and textual data, and library research. Realistic images taken after surgery are used as exemplary samples for description and analysis in artworks, in raising public awareness, and in emphasizing thematic analyses. The statistical population consists of patients with colorectal cancer, and purposive sampling is used by selecting desirable samples from images taken after surgeries that have the potential to convey the message of body awareness through works of art.
Discussion and Analysis: Cancer, as a complex issue, has led to the discovery of new methods for diagnosis and treatment with advancements in technology and medical science. However, awareness of this disease is not sufficient. The concepts of this disease can be represented in various forms within the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, and photography. These artworks, as a means of communication, convey the concept of the disease to the audience; therefore, the representation of the form and content of colorectal cancer in artworks is the artist's manipulation of objects, events, and situations in a physical, real, mental, imaginative, thematic (title of a work), painting (for narrative and description), sculpture or visual arts (plastic) in three-dimensional space, construction of structures (construction) from various materials, and photographic media in the realm of information. In this research, the emphasis is on the content of the selected images, what they aim to show, and as a visual message for understanding internal organs and cancer that can be used in visual arts and other artworks. Medical trainers can use visual arts for various purposes as a tool such as strengthening trainees' skills in observation, description, critical thinking, and communication. Painting, sculpture, and installation can also be a medium for representing internal organs. Artists, alongside physicians, can create artworks with medical themes about specific diseases with the aim of combating public ignorance of diseases that can be reduced by prevention. Statistical and medical data, along with artworks, have a greater impact on persuading the audience and are a better tool for awareness and prevention. Of course, artworks must be a representation of correct reality, and this can be achieved through communication with colorectal physicians and surgeons, which is the subject of this research, and direct communication with patients who have had these experiences. Ultimately, it can be concluded that all forms of art have the ability to positively influence the viewer's perspective and attention in conveying messages about disease and health.

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Interdisciplinary Researches of Art
Volume 2, Issue 2 - Serial Number 3
December 2024
Pages 1-18

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 15 December 2024
  • Accept Date: 20 December 2024
  • Publish Date: 20 December 2024

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