Three Portraits, 2 Artists, and 1 Harvard Department of Anaesthesia: the Brigham Chairs and the Artists Who Rendered Them

• Anaesthesia Department at Peter Bent Brigham & Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Executive style of Drs. Leroy D. Vandam, Benjamin G. Covino, and Simon Gelman
• Personality of Chairs captured by artists George V. Augusta and Marc Klionsky

BackgroundMany forms of art accurately depict physical attributes of their subjects. But how precisely do portraits capture personal, emotional, and behavioral aspects of individuals holding leadership positions in academic departments of anesthesiology?MethodsWe examined formal portraits of the first three academic chairmen of anesthesiology in our department – Leroy D. Vandam, Benjamin G. Covino, and Simon Gelman and obtained information about the artists (George Augusta and Marc Klionsky) regarding how they conducted research on their subjects, and the methods they used to depict significant character traits into their art. We then correlated the artistic depiction with known biographical and behavioral qualities of these leaders.ResultsWe found that the artists were remarkably astute in their observations and that they successfully captured both physical and emotional aspects of these chairmen in their portraits. Moreover, in one instance, significant early life experiences were added to the composition with subtlety. Individuals familiar with these chairmen and aware of their management style can easily appreciate the techniques employed by the artists.SummaryWe conclude that art successfully depicted personal and executive attributes of these three academic anesthesia chairmen.