Lessons From the Artistic Masters

The relationship between art and medicine encourages artists to learn from physicians, as well as physicians to benefit from the feats of artists. This paper explores how the greatest artists throughout history became known as artistic masters even amongst the art history naïve throughout the world. We emphasize how plastic surgeons can learn from these artists in their pursuit to become master surgeons. The greatest and most influential artists throughout history each mastered the fundamentals, became experts in their subject matter, built on the foundations of their predecessors, and used innovative methods that advanced their craft. The actions that differentiated them from thousands of other career artists and achieve immortality can be emulated by plastic surgeons who strive for excellence. A surgeon should achieve surgical mastery by developing an expertise in human anatomy, physiology, pathology, and possess a hunger for innovation.