Man the Enigma

Although he is better known for his work as a surgeon, Max Thorek took up photography as a hobby to distract himself from the “gloom, misery, and suffering of human existence” that he encountered practicing medicine. He emigrated to the U.S from Hungary and received his medical degree in 1904. This self-portrait represents a midpoint between his two fields. He fuses an x-ray of his profile with a background of curving lines, making the piece more dynamic. It looks more like a painting or poster than a clinical study.