From the May/June Issue...
The Art Institute of Chicago, with its wonderful collection of Impressionist art, is one of my favorite places to visit when I am in town. The Impressionists are widely regarded as artistic geniuses who revolutionized the way we look at not only art but the entire world.
While I marvel at the beauty of the paintings and sculptures, I am also keenly aware that they (both the people and the art) were products of their time. In particular, the Industrial Revolution provided artists with tools that were unavailable to earlier generations. Purchasing paint in a tube, taking the train to the countryside, propping your canvas on an easel, painting with a brush strengthened with a metal ferrule, and viewing your subjects at leisure in a public park were all new to the 19th century. The ability to go out and capture the world in a new light was world changing. Furthermore, many of the Impressionists were well-to-do men and women who could afford the many innovations that were becoming available; they had the time and ability to focus on their art and realize their visions. Granted, there was no lack of artistic genius among them; nevertheless, the art they created was as much a product of their environment as of their own craft.
Like the Impressionists, today’s healthcare leaders are poised at the dawn of a new era. The information revolution is making it possible to create connections among activities and people in previously impossible ways.
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