Patients
are frequently surprised when
they learn that Dr. Jeffrey Rosenthal is also
an accomplished artist. Dr. Rosenthal
replies, “Many plastic surgeons are artists;
we do art every day.” He feels that performing surgery
on the human body is
the highest form of art, combining the science of
medicine with that of art to achieve a natural result.
Dr Rosenthal is a board certified plastic
surgeon in Fairfield, who specializes in
cosmetic surgery and is chief of the section
of plastic surgery at Bridgeport Hospital.
When not operating on or taking care of his
patients, you can find him working in a wide
range of media: painting, sculpting, carving,
or taking photographs. He also lectures on
the danger of drinking and driving and has
toured the state with the attorney general to
rail against cigarette smoking.
Jeffrey began his artistic quest at the age
of six when he was given the task of trimming hedges,
especially two mammoth
bushes that adorned the front of his family’s
home on Long Island. Pruning those shrubs taught him a
lot about the art of sculpting
in 3-dimension and prompted him at this
formative age to consider alternative ways of producing
a better result. It is this
attitude that still motivates and gives him
satisfaction in both medicine and art.
Rosenthal spent his undergraduate years
at State University College, New Paltz, a college with a
long tradition of fine arts majors.
His biology and history majors only allowed
time for a few basic art courses, but he was
able to continue with his enjoyment of photography.
During medical school at
University Autonoma of Guadalajara,
he started pen and ink drawing - in psychiatry class!
Later, he took up the
mediums of sculpture and clay
during (rare) free time while performing his
plastic surgery residency at Nassau County
Medical Center, East Meadow, New York.
Having spent several decades developing
an eclectic and lively art style, Dr. Rosenthal
held his first major exhibit, “The Chance to
Dream,” in the Walsh Art Gallery at Fairfield University
in August, 2002.
He demonstrated the wide scope and diverse nature of his
art: paintings,
photography, poetry, sculptures in
stone, metal and wood - even a children’s
book that he wrote and illustrated. The idea
for an art exhibit came about when so many
of his patients wanted to see more of his work than
could be displayed in his
medical office. His wife Catherine’s then
recent breast cancer experience lead to
the idea of using the opening night
as a fundraiser for the Norma F.
Pfriem Breast Care Center in Fairfield.
June 2004 marked the next date Dr.
Rosenthal would have an opportunity to display his work.
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“Infinite Visions” was
borne out
of gallery owner Marco Pelletier’s description of
Jeffrey and his art.
Gallerie Je Reviens, in Westport, known for
its representation of French artists,
was the site of Dr. Rosenthal’s
photography exhibit.
The first such exhibit at
the gallery,
Jeffrey’s photographs were combined
with paintings and glicees (the spraying
of ink at one million dots per inch to
produce an amazingly realistic
reproduction of the image, consistent
with an original painting (or photograph),
a process Dr. Rosenthal embraces.
Again, the Norma Pfriem Breast Center
was the beneficiary of the opening reception.
Around that time, French artist Mogart, whose paintings
are displayed in Westport’s Gallerie Je Reviens, needed
a subject
for her master’s thesis and found it in
Jeffrey. She wrote portions of her dissertation on his
artistic theories, many
of which relate to his approach to plastic surgery.
She
found the diverse nature of his
work and creativity unique, especially since
he was self-taught in his art. Inspired by their
experience working together, they staged a joint art
showing this past summer in Fanjeaux, France, to honor
the Norma Pfriem Center and to celebrate the richness
both countries offer. The two artists found
a natural way to bridge their countries’
division through the greater vision
they share, and to this end Jeffrey bestowed a selected
work to the town’s mayor in
remembrance of the mutual exhibit.
This fall, Dr. Rosenthal had the opportunity
to once again showcase his paintings
and photography - this time at a fundraiser
for Hummingbirds School, in SOHO.
Hummingbirds is a non-profit school for individuals with
special needs offering
classes in dance, yoga, music and art. Proceeds from the
fundraiser, which also included performances of opera,
piano and dance by Martha Graham
dancers, were donated to the school.
Dr. Rosenthal recently donated a glicee
of a rose he grew and photographed to the
American Red Cross. He is looking ahead to the
possibility of having an art exhibit in
England next year or wherever his art will
bring pleasure. Indeed, his “infinite vision”
will continue to be enjoyed by many.
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