All About Art with the Anatomy of Dutch Deaths

On Friday March 4, 2016, I went to a lecture in Kadema 145 for a potential Art History professor, Anuradha Gobin, who has a PHD in this subject. She focuses on the Dutch Republic, specifically the city of Amsterdam, as well as the criminal body of the area. The art she teaches leans towards the human anatomy and deaths/executions from that time period. During her lecture, she talked about how executions were public events and the continuation of punishment rituals. The sight of the gallows was considered a sight of art, and its location caused a mix of ideas and progression.
Because the human body was a topic of interest, artists and anatomists used it to show their civic authority. When demonstrations were being done, the cadavers being used were wither someone who died a lonely death in a hospital or criminals sentenced to death. The anatomists were no longer the person with knowledge, because they passed it down to their students by allowing them to physically engage in touching and examining the dead body on their own. This allowed the students to gain knowledge for themselves.

Overall, Anuradha had an interesting and engaging subject. Before her actual lecture, she gave us a brief overview on what she would talk about, so that we were prepared to know what would come next. Although she reads from her notes, it does not sound robotic at all, she still sounds engaged and lively, as if she was talking straight at us. I think she has great potential in being an Art History professor, not just because of her communication skills, but also because of her intriguing subject.

Selfie with Anuradha Gobin