TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT | Ankit Mehta
© Turning Darkness Into Light. Ankit Mehta. Created digitally (using oil paint mode
“This work is an ode to the 19th-century painting ‘Laennec Examines a Consumptive Patient with a Stethoscope’ by Théobald Chartran that celebrated René Laennec’s invention of stethoscope in 1816, now a totem of medicine. This painting reimagines Chartran’s figures, placing the physician in a white coat and modern setting with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), today’s technological marvel, emphasizing bedside teaching and connection. Inspired by Rembrandt’s ‘The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp,’ this image has a dark, moody color palette, evoking the pride and longstanding tradition of teaching in medicine. Prior to the late 19th century, doctors wore black, somber attire to reflect the gravity of their work. The white coat, symbolizing purity, emerged in the 20th century alongside medicine’s shift to rigorous science.”
Ankit Mehta is a hospitalist with HealthPartners and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He has a keen interest in the intersection of arts, humanities and medicine. He is passionate about graphic medicine as a powerful tool in medical education to teach self-reflection and empathy with accessibility and poignancy. His graphic works have been published in various journals, magazines and publications like the Los Angeles Times. His graphic story was part of an Emmy-winning documentary “Speaking About Race” and shortlisted for the 2024 International Graphic Medicine Award.