Anesthesia: And the Fear of Losing Control
Max Aguilera-Hellweg, From the series, Medical: Still Life; Courtesy of the artist
BY WENJIE (DEMI) ZHAO
Throughout the centuries, artists have been fascinated by the world of surgery, as it provides a unique opportunity to explore the human body and the mysteries of life and death. Since the 17th century, when the group of artists represented by Rembrandt started to paint anatomy lessons and pupils observing an autopsy during the Dutch Golden Age, artists and performers have become increasingly interested in surgery beyond its medical relevance. The growing quest for understanding life and death, science and medicine, continues to tremble and intrigue contemporary artists and photographers, including Max Aguilera-Hellweg.
“Where the photographer is present, so is the surgeon. The images of Max Aguilera-Hellweg are as meticulous and precise as a scalpel, as sanitized as a hospital room” (Jessica Ragazzini, Max Aguilera-Hellweg, Photography from surgery to robotics). His photographs pay tribute to the precision and compassion of both the medical field and photography. He captures the fear of relinquishing control, which unravels in the grasp of anesthesia's hold. As awareness slips and feeling dissipates, we are plunged into the surrender of the unknown. Yet in this moment of letting go, a hidden beauty is unveiled.
Let us not fear the loss of control, but embrace the new journey that we stroll. For in this surrender lies a chance to find new meaning in life’s dance.
In the operating room, a dance begins. A symphony of instruments join in. Anesthesia, the conductor of this grand show, whispers to the patients, “Close your eyes, let go.” A spell is cast, and the patient drifts away, to a place where pain and worry cannot stay. A choreography of movement beyond compare, the scalpel cuts through the air, while the anesthesiologist, a guardian angel in disguise, watches over the patient with attentive eyes. The heart monitor hums a steady beat, as the delicate dance of hands and tools, guided by knowledge and years of training, work to heal and mend. The beeps of machines, the rustle of gowns, the tap of shoes, all join in to create a cinematic tune. In Medical: Still Life, the acclaimed “Doctor Photographer” Max Aguilera-Hellweg demystifies the hidden world of science, medicine, one’s body, health, and anatomy for all to see.
Taking an unusual point of view from the eyes of the patient, Max Aguilera-Hellweg’s photograph puts you directly on the operating table. Rather than instilling fear, his surgical photos exude a gentle quality. Set against a pitch-black backdrop, the surgical lights are softly diffused while the doctor stands at the center of a carefully constructed composition, holding an oxygen mask that emits a translucent and soothing aura in the backlight. His set design is outstanding, reducing everything to the simplest form and eliciting the image of the doctor to appear like an angel descending from the sky. It captures the moment before losing your consciousness, a portal to another realm, and a sign of rescue rather than a denial of life.
Max Aguilera-Hellweg’s work guides you to become less afraid of the body, of medicine, and ultimately, less afraid of death. He drags you into the scenario, moving from exterior to interior, from the world around us to the world inside. “On the operating table, the body is just a vessel. The anesthesiologist controls your blood pressure, your body temperature, your breathing, your ability to sense pain. You can’t speak, your eyes take shed. Your thoughts, your memories, your dreams, are adrift. Where do they go?” (NPR, All Things Considered: Special Features, Fall 1998)
The image was created as an illustration in Max Aguilera-Hellweg’s studio, using props and models to recreate the medical environment. His shot is similar to a precisely calculated equation, just like the surgeon’s accurate incisions, where the distance to the subject, the depth of the field, the framing and geometry, all work in perfect harmony to complement each other.
Through his lens, Max Aguilera-Hellweg captures the delicate balance between life and death that exists in the world of surgical operations. The man in the other photograph was intubated and scheduled for surgery. Having photographed several surgeries for his book, the hospital staff knew Max Aguilera-Hellweg well. With the patient’s permission, he snapped this image before the procedure commenced. He requested that the nurses remove their gloves, despite breaking the sterile environment, to create the desired effect. After taking four to five shots with his 4x5 camera, the nurses promptly put their gloves back on and scrubbed the patient with Betadine, a solution that sterilizes the skin from bacteria and appropriately prepares the surgical field.
Max Aguilera-Hellweg, From the series, Medical: Still Life; Courtesy of the artist
His photographs meander between conscious and unconscious. Like a glimpse through a keyhole, what we can see is only a fragment. The patient’s face, now bereft of consciousness, is bathed in warm, orange light. His eyes are taped shut, motionless, as if devoid of life’s imprint. And in the nurse’s gleaming red lacquered nails and rounded watch, time seems to take flight. It is a moment suspended, where all sense of being halts. Face to face, the conscious us and the unconscious patient, creates an artful paradox that Aguilera-Hellweg explores in his photographs. In the very essence of Max Aguilera-Hellweg’s work lies the quest of the very nature of being: who are we, truly, when life’s curtain is down? Through his work, he captures this dichotomy, a stark reminder of our fragile mortality.
Max Aguilera-Hellweg approaches photography with “the mind of an abstract mathematician” and “the heart of an artist” (National Geographic, Body Parts and Robot Children: Science as Film Noir). With a desire to express a range of emotions, he pursued acting for six years before feeling the urge to create stories through filmmaking. However, he soon realized that storytelling was at the heart of the craft and lacked a message to convey. This led him to embark on a journey of self-discovery, reading, and learning. At 35, he became a doctor but eventually returned to his passion for photography. “The itch of seeing the world, making decisions about color, about light, about what to leave in the frame, and what to leave out, about how to tell a story, and the pure joy of looking through a lens” was constantly under his skin (National Geographic, Doctor Photographer). Today, the knowledge and experiences gained from his time and training in medicine inform and shape his artistic pursuits, giving him a clear voice and message in making films.
His series, Medical: Still Life, showcases his diverse resources of inspiration, including Ralph Gibson, Diane Arbus, and Guy Bourdin. From Gibson, he learned about the importance of light and how photography is a calculated subtraction of elements to highlight what is essential. Arbus taught him about the difference between taking a photograph and feeling compelled to capture an image because it’s necessary to one’s being. Bourdin influenced Max Aguilera-Hellweg’s cinematic skills, showing him how to convey a story in a single frame, much like a movie scene.
With the medical insight of the human body and artistic influences from distinguished photographers, Max Aguilera-Hellweg weaves a captivating narrative and brings the operating room to all. The taming of light and shadow, the discipline of composition, the proper sense of reality in the operating room are reverential. Amidst his art, Max Aguilera-Hellweg hopes to impart a truth of life that we often forget to chart: life is just like a piece of music — having a beginning, middle, and end.
