sketcher spotlight
SKETCHER SPOTLIGHT
the art of healing
AS A HEALTHCARE WORKER ON THE COVID-19 FRONTLINE, JEFFREY M. LEVINE MD DOCUMENTED WHAT WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN MANHATTAN IN HIS ‘PANDEMIC SKETCHBOOKS’ – ON THE SUBWAY, IN THE STREETS OF NEW YORK, IN HIS STUDIO – ALL IN BETWEEN MAKING HIS ROUNDS . AS TOLD TO: CATHY GUTTERMAN Cathy Gutterman: Can you share something about your life’s path, career and other interests? Jeffrey Levine: When growing up our family doctor displayed prints that illustrated scenes from a doctor’s life by renowned medical illustrator, Frank Netter. As a child I climbed a chair to study images that provided inspiration for my life’s direction to pursue both art and medicine. In medical school I drove into New York City for evening sketch classes at the Art Students League, and brought my artistic skills into the dissecting room and hospital wards. On weekends I joined 40 drawing attention
the artists of Greenwich Village to exhibit and sell my work. The street life of Manhattan became part of my blood, and I knew this was where I wanted to live and practice. Building a medical career in New York City was a daunting challenge that I will never regret. Having the opportunity to impact lives through treatment or compassion is something quite different from making art. The freedom and energy I get from the solitary process of making art provides symmetry for the people skills and rules of science required for practicing
