Watercolorist seeks to paint a new perspective on life

Lt. Gen. Dumronk Thanachanant, MD, thinks a good surgeon must have “art in his soul.”

Issue: September 2006

When Lt. Gen. Dumronk Thanachanant, MD, puts his mind to something, he makes sure to do it wholeheartedly, especially when it comes to his two biggest passions: orthopedics and painting.

A classical music enthusiast, Thanachanant has a series of paintings of pianos. This one is oil on canvas.

Balancing scientific and artistic pursuits seems to come easy for Thanachanant. “As a surgeon, I feel that when doing an operation, especially in the orthopedic field, we need an artistic mind,” he told Orthopedics Today. “I think a good surgeon must have art in his soul.”

Retired from the Army Medical Corps, Thanachanant is now an orthopedic consultant at four hospitals throughout Thailand. He also performs elective surgery at Pramongkulklao Hospital and Medical College, Bangkok, Thailand, where he specializes in arthroplasty and reconstructive hand surgery.

One of the things Thanachanant enjoys most about his work is the patient/physician dynamic. “If we think about medical practice in general, treating a patient is an art and science put together,” Thanachanant said. “The relationship of the doctor and patient must remain good [over time], particularly in our society.”

While drawing operative records as a resident, Thanachanant realized that he had a strong interest in art. He began painting, using mostly oils and acrylics at first because they allowed him to create his art on a larger scale, he said.

Despite his penchant for painting, Thanachanant does not consider himself an artist and has no intention of any gaining anything commercially from his works. However, he hopes that a few of his paintings will be selected for exhibition at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ (AAOS) “e-Motion Pictures: An Exhibition of Orthopedics in Art” in 2008.

He displayed his work on 14 other occasions and won the AAOS Board of Directors Award for one of his paintings during the 2001 e-Motion Pictures exhibition.

Thanachanant hopes that his artwork will provide people with “a different perspective” of a few of his favorite things in life, he said.

e-Motion call for entries
eMotion Pictures: An Exhibition of Orthopedics in Art is a juried show open to both orthopedic surgeons and patients of all ages, and will be part of the 2008 75th Anniversary Celebration of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Artists may submit up to 10 works. An online form must be submitted by artists by Oct. 15. For a list of acceptable mediums, to submit artwork or for more information, go to aaos.org/emotion.