JEFFREY LEVINE

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 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

medicine. Each resonates with the other to provide continuity and inspiration. I never lost my fascination for the intricacies of the human body, nor have I lost my love for sketchbooks and ink.

CG: What are the practicalities and sensitivities of sketching patients, and how have you navigated them?

JL: As a healthcare professional, it is my duty to maintain privacy and confidentiality with patients. As a geriatrician, the population I care for has additional issues of physical frailty and impaired cognition, making consent more problematic. I am mindful of this when presenting sketches of patients on social media, and make sure that facial features are generalized to avoid identification of a specific individual, while still conveying the story.

When exploring my role as physician and artist, I look toward mentors like the writer Anton Chekhov, the poet William Carlos Williams, and the illustrator Frank Netter – all of whom were medical doctors. These people adapted observational skills learned in medical training to enhance their gifts as artists, enabling them to tell stories and produce works that touch upon the essence of humanity.

CG: What is your process with art materials?

JL: I sometimes use pencil to work out proportion and composition, then fountain pen, adding splashes of color on the spot or when I return to my studio. With watercolor, I take advantage of both wet-on-wet and wet-on-dry, layering and blending to achieve a vibrant surface. The New York City subway is a great place to practice, where people are constantly moving and time is measured by brief stops along the way.

NYC SUBWAY

Urban Sketchers has helped me immensely by opening a world of educational resources and like-minded colleagues who share tips on materials and techniques. Making a record of time and place and telling the story on location is a huge challenge, and I have deep admiration for the Urban Sketching masters who devote themselves to developing and teaching this skill. My involvement with Urban Sketchers NYC and participation in the 2018 Porto International Symposium were life-changing.

BELOW RIGHT: GEORGE FLOYD DEMONSTRATION IN WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK

CG: What was it like to live in Manhattan during the height of the Pandemic?

JL: A normally bustling place became spooky and desolate. A field hospital with tents opened in Central Park. Many small businesses that I depended on for years closed their doors, including my everyday lunch spot. The subway completely emptied out. I brought my sketchbook to the presidential election early-voting line where it rained and everyone got pretty soaked. In June the streets became very active with Black Lives Matter demonstrations, and I tried to capture as much as I could in my sketchbooks.

BIKING MANHATTAN IN TIMES OF COVID-19

Jeffrey documented his bike rides through through Manhattan during COVID-19. Check out his video here.

“Many small businesses that I depended on for years closed their doors, including my everyday lunch spot.

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“The weight of love Has buoyed me up Till my head Knocks against the sky. William Carlos Williams

CG: Your ongoing series of self-portraits dates back to your medical student days. Can you share what inspired you to do this?

JL: Making art presents an avenue for exploring both the world around us and the world within. Looking inside helps to understand oneself, adapt to life’s changes, and become a more effective human being. My specialty within geriatrics is wound healing, and art has certainly helped to heal my own inner wounds as I help to heal others. My inner exploration is expressed in a series of self-portraits that began at age 13, and continues as I approach old age. (See more of Jeffrey’s work on page 50).

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UPDATE FROM RITA SABLER EDUCATION DIRECTOR

REPORTAGE GRANT It is our great pleasure to announce the winners of the USK Reportage Grant. We received 63 submissions from around the globe on a wide variety of topics. We are deeply touched by the humanity of the proposals, the sincere interest of our community for the world, and the creative approaches to the art of reportage and storytelling.

The selection committee consisting of 6 judges has completed the final screening and the winners are:

• The Room, Paris (France) by Mathieu Letellier (aka. Mat Let) • Chawls of Mumbai: “The Social Network”, Mumbai (India) by USK Mumbai • Ripple Effect of a Historic Market, Pune (India) by Farah Irani • Night People Street Portraits, Berlin Kantstraße, Berlin (Germany) by Rolf Schröter • The Shifting Landscapes of Despair, Hope, Survival and Persistence, Seattle (USA) by Daniel Winterbottom.

Congratulations to the winners! Follow the progress of these projects on our social media channels.

WORKSHOP PROGRAM We recognize that the state of the global pandemic presents ongoing planning challenges and uncertainty as far as organizing on-location educational events. However, as certain regions of the world become safe we would like to invite the established and new instructors to apply to teach through our USk Workshops program. Do you have an idea for a workshop? Contact us with your proposal at education@urbansketchers. org. The USk Education committee has been hard at work on making the process more straightforward and support our instructors in any way we can.

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