Sexual Health in Art and Science

Abstract

A rtists and scientists express their understanding of sexual behavior differently.Artists use visual and spatial composition; scientists use collection, analysis, and interpretation of data.However, both art and science are testaments to the creative ability of the human mind.Scholarly work that combines art and science is often delightful.Many biomedical journals, including the Journal of the American Medical Association, Clinical Infectious Diseases, and Emerging Infectious Diseases, display images of art objects, and some relate art to health (1) to put a human face on the technical content.For the most part, sexual health texts use graphic illustrations to show clinical manifestations of infection and disease.Can fine art also be used to discuss sexual health?In this article, we examine 6 art objects from the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the context of sexual health, especially the prevention and control of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV (2).We combine 2 traditional approaches in our discussion of these 19th-and 20th-century pieces: chronology and theme (sexual health).We begin with At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance (1890) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901).Although this artist was born to an aristocratic French family, he preferred the company of bohemians.As a teenager, Toulouse-Lautrec fell twice, injuring both legs.His

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