Doctors as Artists

The yearly exhibition "Aeskulap paints" has been opened for the 43rd time in July 5 in Baden-Baden/Germany. The pharmaceutic family company Pohl-Boskamp has invited in the congress hall. Visitors were -besides some of the artists- many journalists and participants of the MedCongress 2006. See our photo story:

a wholistic opus from many small pictures

This year the EventDocs had a new concept: 621 single pictures became an impressice "wholistic opus" which could be regarded from the front side all in one. On the day after the opening all walls were turned round so the other side could be seen as a whole. Most of the art friends found this an extraordinary idea and at the same time it was a new record: Never such a high number of pictures could be presented.

Engagement since 1963

Ingrid Boskamp is senior chief of Pohl-Boskamp (drugs and medical products since 1835). Her husband Arthur had been interested in painting and had invested in contacts to ArtDocs and WriterDocs. So his idea of presenting exhibitions began in 1963 in Hamburg. Many of the works exhibited are now collected in an own museum in the town Hohenlockstedt/Germany where the company is located.

The artists: Medical doctors and pharmacists

Urheber der vielen farbigen Darstellungen sind 298 Ärzte und Apotheker. Sie waren im November 2005 als Leserinnen und Leser der Pohl-Boskamp-Zeitschrift für Ärzte und Apotheker motiviert worden, sich ein Motiv zu suchen und dies zu malen. Anders als in den Vorjahren gab es diesmal keine thematischen Vorgaben – nur das Format war vorbestimmt: Ein mit Leinwand bespannter Keilrahmen musste es sein, klein und quadratisch, denn es galt, sich auf ein Experiment einzulassen, etwas zu einem Gesamtkunstwerk beizutragen. Jeder Künstler durfte dabei durchaus mehrere Bilder einsenden.

How to present so many pictures?

"The members of the event team have discussed for a long time, since many artists had sent more than one pictures belonging together" explains Rüdiger Pohlmann (PR). So they decided to order the pictures after colour families.

A "chess board" of pictures...

Imagine a huge chess board with every field in a different colour and motive. Would be confusing. So it was worthwhile ordering all pictures after the colour groups. So every board had either a similar colour or similar shapes in black. 

This is dominant in red

Santa Claus houses, hearts, flowers or a sunset - many Docs took a fresh red as dominant colour.

Concrete or abstract?

Yellow was preferred for suns and hears but many used it for abstract motives

honouring the creative spirits

In her speech Ingrid Boskamp liked the variety of the pictures, motives, colours and designs. Some had created three-dimensional opera fixing small objects to the ground. Mrs Boskamp thanked her team for good work and outstanding engagement.