Title : Art, skin, and dermatology: Interdisciplinary perspectives
Abstract:
The skin is a uniquely visible organ, located at the intersection of biology, perception, and representation. In dermatology, clinical reasoning relies heavily on visual observation, pattern recognition, and interpretation of surface signs. Similarly, throughout the history of art, the skin has been a privileged subject through which artists have explored identity, normality, pathology, aging, and aesthetic ideals, notably including principles such as the golden ratio in the construction of beauty and harmony.
This lecture proposes an interdisciplinary dialogue between art and dermatology, examining how artistic representations of the skin can contribute to dermatological visual literacy, with the aim of improving visual acuity and enhancing the capacity for ekphrasis among dermatologists—that is, the ability to precisely describe, verbalize, and communicate visual clinical findings.
Through the analysis of selected artworks in parallel with clinical dermatological knowledge, the presentation explores the concepts of realism, idealization, symbolism, and cultural coding of cutaneous features.
Particular attention is devoted to the practice of iconodiagnosis, questioning its relevance, limits, and methodological risks when medical interpretation is applied to artistic images. The distinction between pathological signs, stylistic conventions, and intentional aesthetic distortion is discussed, emphasizing the need for critical visual literacy in both art analysis and clinical dermatology.
By bridging dermatology, art history, and visual sciences, this interdisciplinary perspective aims to refine observational skills, strengthen diagnostic awareness, and encourage a more reflective approach to visual evidence, where scientific rigor and aesthetic interpretation are understood as complementary rather than opposing modes of knowledge.
