Commentary A Well-Hung Horse: Sired by Knowledge and Imagination
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Please cite this article in press as: Goldstein, A Well-Hung Horse: Sired by Knowledge and Imagination, Cell (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.cell.2015.08.039
Lasker Awards
Commentary
A Well-Hung Horse:
Sired by Knowledge and Imagination
Joseph L. Goldstein1,*
1Chair, Lasker Awards Jury
*Correspondence: joe.goldstein@utsouthwestern.edu
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2015.08.039
For more than a century, historians of science have been spinning a philosophical roulette wheel,
pondering which is more important in the creative process: imagination or knowledge. The most
original scientists (and artists) in our day discover newness by blending existing knowledge with
imaginative thinking.
Knowledge versus Imagination a journalist asked Einstein ‘‘How do you after a popular cocktail containing gin
The opening salvo in the imagination account for your discoveries? Through and molasses that was golden colored
versus knowledge debate goes back to intuition or inspiration?’’ Einstein replied, like Whistlejacket’s flanks.
the Dutch chemist Jacobus van’t Hoff, ‘‘Both. I’m enough of an artist to draw
who was awarded the first Nobel Prize in freely on my imagination, which I think is Whistlejacket: A Historic Painting
Chemistry in 1901. van’t Hoff is credited more important than knowledge.’’ He ex- by George Stubbs
with two original achievements. The first plained that knowledge is limited to what The oil-on-canvas painting of Whistle-
is his proposal that atoms in a molecule we already know and understand, while jacket was completed in 1762 by the
are arranged in a three-dimensional imagination leads to all there ever will be British artist George Stubbs (1724–1806)
space—a hypothesis that led to the dis- to know and understand (Viereck, 1929). (Warner and Blake, 2004). There are
covery of the asymmetrical carbon atom Einstein and van’t Hoff were exceptional 2,300 paintings in the National Gallery’s
and to the founding of a new field of phys- rarefied thinkers who viewed imagination collection, which includes famous works
ical chemistry. And the second is that and knowledge as horses of a different by Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens,
the speed of a chemical reaction is related color. To them, imagination was the Velasquez, Van Gogh, and Cezanne. In
to temperature and the concentration of domain of scientists and artists; knowl- terms of viewer popularity and museum
components in the reaction. Thus, two edge was for curators and accountants. shop sales, Whistlejacket is the National
fundamental concepts—molecular shape In Einstein’s universe, there was neither Gallery’s equivalent of The Louvre’s
and reaction kinetics—originated with this space nor time for the most imaginative Mona Lisa. The National’s museum shop
one individual. of accountants—even those who could sells 32 different Whistlejacket-designed
van’t Hoff believed that the key to sci- cook the books and never get caught. items, including the usual postcards,
entific creativity was not facts and knowl- In the real world of today, the most cre- posters, scarfs, umbrellas, etc. But
edge, but imagination. Imagination, in his ative scientists possess a special knack one of these items is unique for a museum
view, is the essential building block of for asking the right question, framed in shop—a bottle of Sloe Gin, a modern-
scientific inquiry. In 1878, van’t Hoff the context of existing knowledge, which day recreation of the 18th century
assembled his ideas into an essay entitled is then used as a stepping stone to imag- Whistlejacket cocktail containing 27%
Imagination in Science, in which he inative thinking. A wonderful example of alcohol (www.nationalgallery.org.uk).
pointed out that many of the world’s the creative blending of knowledge and Whistlejacket is monumental in size—
most original scientists like Newton, imagination is illustrated by a portrait in 9.5 feet by 8 feet—the size of an actual
Galileo, Davy, and Boyle possessed life- Room 34 of the National Gallery in horse. Whistlejacket occupies pride of
long strange imaginings and superstitions London. Room 34 contains famous 18th place in its location in the National Gallery
that influenced their approach to science century British society portraits by (Longmuir, 1997). It is hung at one end of
(Springer, 1967). Most creative scientists, Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua the Gallery’s long main corridor in such a
according to van’t Hoff, were a bit Reynolds, who painted their aristocratic way that the museum-goer sees an enor-
‘‘crazy’’—with ‘‘crazy’’ being shorthand subjects on a grand scale in the European mous horse through multiple glass door-
for bold thinking and being free to try manner. But the portrait that I will tell you ways as he or she wanders through ten
new things that less-creative colleagues about is not one of a famous English intervening rooms that connect one end
would deem ridiculous. nobleman; rather, it’s a horse of a of the Gallery to the other (Figure 1, right).
Although van’t Hoff was the first to different color; in fact, it’s actually a The painting is a true traffic-stopper and a
emphasize the value of imagination in portrait of a horse—a real Arabian horse powerful magnet, attracting and pulling
science, it was Einstein who put imagina- named Whistlejacket, the star racehorse people to it from remote parts of the
tion on the philosophical map. In a 1929 of his day in 18th century England museum. As a museum curator might
interview in The Saturday Evening Post, (Figure 1, left). Whistlejacket was named say, Whistlejacket is a well-hung horse!
Cell 162, September 10, 2015 ª2015 Elsevier Inc. 1
CELL 8415
Please cite this article in press as: Goldstein, A Well-Hung Horse: Sired by Knowledge and Imagination, Cell (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.cell.2015.08.039
scale reserved for a king. Unlike previous
paintings involving horses, Whistlejacket
is depicted alone with no people, no land-
scape, no battlefields, no saddles, no
bridles, no whips—just one horse that is
free to gallop in empty space with no
noisy distractions. The only areas in the
canvas where space is suggested are
the two small shadows cast by the rear
hooves. Stubbs’ innovative use of empty
space as a background focuses our
attention on the subject’s individuality—
his flying mane, his shiny golden flanks,
his taut muscles, and his terrified eye
looking at us. Why is Whistlejacket so
terrified?
When the portrait was nearly finished,
an extraordinary event occurred. After
Stubbs had removed the canvas from
the easel and placed it against the
stable wall, the portrait was glimpsed
by the real Whistlejacket. The real
Whistlejacket so believed that he was
confronting a raging stallion that he
Figure 1. A Well-Hung Horse began ‘‘to stare and look wildly at the
(Left) Whistlejacket by George Stubbs, 1762. Oil on canvas. 9.5 3 8 ft. The painting hangs in London’s picture, endeavoring to get at it to
National Gallery at one end of the museum’s long main corridor and can be seen through ten intervening
fight and kick it.’’ This must surely have
rooms that connect one end of the museum to the other. (Upper-right) Whistlejacket is seen through the
door in Room 35 that leads directly to Room 34, where Whistlejacket hangs. (Lower-right) Whistlejacket is been the moment when Stubbs realized
seen through the door in Room 9, which is located at the opposite end of the museum’s long corridor from that he had created a masterpiece of
Room 34. http://nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/virtualtour/. realism—one that was recognized by his
living subject (Warner and Blake, 2004;
Longmuir, 1997).
So what makes Whistlejacket such a Stubbs’ studies of equine musculature Although George Stubbs painted
remarkable painting? The answer lies in and skeletal structure were published Whistlejacket 250 years ago, he and
the creativity of George Stubbs, whose in 1766 in a graphic masterpiece, his work are a reminder of a famous line
deep knowledge of the anatomy of horses The Anatomy of the Horse (McCunn and by William Faulkner: ‘‘The past is never
stimulated his imagination in a unique Ottaway, 1976). The horse is presented dead. It is not even past.’’ Stubbs’
way. Stubbs began his career as a scien- in 36 large plates and 18 tables, with de- passion for horses influenced all sub-
tist, studying human anatomy at a medical pictions of the skeleton alone, all of the sequent painters of horses, including De-
school where he also taught himself to muscle layers, and the ligaments, nerves, lacroix, Gericault, Degas, and Picasso.
draw and paint. His first job in 1750 was veins, glands, and cartilage. Stubbs’ According to the art critic Robert Hughes
to illustrate an anatomy book on human equine drawings are memorable for their (1984), Whistlejacket prefigured Picasso’s
fetal development. He then switched his life-like quality and exceptional anatom- famous horse in Guernica, the horse that
anatomical interests from humans to ical precision—on par with Leonardo da thrusts ‘‘its outraged neck toward the
horses. Vinci’s anatomical drawings of the human indifferent sky of the 20th century.’’
body. Stubbs’ reputation as an expert on
The Anatomy of a Horse: A Scientific horses attracted the attention of the Gift Horse: A Contemporary
Masterpiece by George Stubbs landed gentry whose passion in 18th cen- Sculpture Inspired by Whistlejacket
For the next two years, Stubbs carried out tury England was horse breeding and The most recent reminder of George
grueling dissections and experimen- racing. Members of the Jockey Club of Stubbs’ past is a contemporary sculpture
tations on dead horses. To familiarize London commissioned him to paint por- of a strutting horse that was recently
himself with the animal’s anatomy and traits of their favorite horses. installed on top of the Fourth Plinth in
physiology, he suspended the dead Stubbs’ portrait of Whistlejacket is a London’s Trafalgar Square, situated just
horses from his stable roof, stripped milestone in art history, making a radical in front of The National Gallery where
away their muscles, injected their veins break with convention and representing Whistlejacket hangs (Figure 2, top). The
with wax, and positioned them in various a prime example of the blending of knowl- new equine sculpture was created by
poses so that he could make meticulous edge with imagination. This was the first Hans Haacke, a 78-year-old German-
drawings and engravings (Rott, 2012). time that an animal was painted on a born artist who has lived in the United
2 Cell 162, September 10, 2015 ª2015 Elsevier Inc.
CELL 8415Please cite this article in press as: Goldstein, A Well-Hung Horse: Sired by Knowledge and Imagination, Cell (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.cell.2015.08.039
States for the last 50 years ing the Napoleonic Wars
(London Gov. UK, 2015). (Hood, 2005). At the center of
Haacke is one of the fathers the Square stands a tall col-
of Conceptual Art whose umn on top of which sits a
followers make minimalist statue of Lord Horatio Nelson,
sculptures from industrial England’s greatest naval
materials and found objects. hero, who was killed at Trafal-
Lately, Haacke has led a gar. Surrounding the Nelson
new art movement called Column are four large stone
Institutional Critique in which pedestals, which the British
artists use their art to draw call the Four Plinths. Three of
attention to hidden connec- the four plinths carry eques-
tions between politics, busi- trian sculptures of kings or
ness, and established organi- military heroes.
zations such as museums The Fourth Plinth, erected in
and churches (Grasskamp, 1841, was intended to display
2004). a statue of King George IV on
Haacke’s new bronze sculp- horseback, but the cost was
ture is 15-feet tall, twice the so exorbitant that it was never
size of a real horse, and completed, and it remained
weighs 4,000 pounds (Figure 2, bare for 150 years until the
middle). It is attracting wide British government decided
public attention not because to use it as a public platform
it is a horse of enormous size for displaying a contemporary
but because it is a skeletal sculpture that could be viewed
sculpture of a horse. The by the 40,000 people who visit
sculpture was inspired by Trafalgar Square each day.
George Stubbs’ Whistlejacket Every 1 to 2 years, 100 leading
painting and is based on artists from around the world
one of the skeletal drawings are invited to enter a competi-
in Stubbs’ classic book tion. Since 1999, ten artists
The Anatomy of the Horse have been selected to show-
(Figure 2, bottom). Haacke case their artwork on the
titled his bronze skeleton Gift Fourth Plinth.
Horse. Apropos of its name,
one of the skeleton’s front Combining Knowledge
legs is wrapped with a large and Imagination to
ribbon tied in a pretty bow Create Gift Horse
like on a present (Figure 2, Hans Haacke’s Gift Horse is
middle). The ribbon displays a arguably the most deeply re-
ticker-tape transmitting live searched of all the sculptures
electronic data from the Lon- to have appeared on the
don Stock Exchange. Why Fourth Plinth. As already
would Haacke decorate a mentioned, it is steeped in art
dead horse from the 18th cen- history, reaching back to the
tury with live stock quotes anatomical work of George
from the 21st century? Stubbs. There is also the
The answer lies in Haacke’s historical connection to the
knowledge of the historical British and their passionate
background of Trafalgar love for horses, which raises
Square combined with his the question as to why Haacke
imagination in using art as Figure 2. Haacke’s Contemporary Bronze Sculpture Is Inspired by would sculpt the skeleton of
Stubb’s Anatomical Horse
a platform to comment on (Top) View of the north side of Trafalgar Square, showing the Fourth Plinth and
a horse rather than the real
established institutions. The the National Gallery from left to right. (Middle) Hans Haacke, Gift Horse, 2015. thing. I think he is teasing the
Square’s name commemo- Bronze. Height, 15 ft. Exhibited on the Fourth Plinth at Trafalgar Square, British, reminding them of the
London, 2015–2017. The tied ribbon bow on the right front leg of the horse
rates the 1805 Battle of Trafal- precariousness of their Empire
skeleton displays a ticker-tape transmitting live electronic data from the
gar, the spectacular British London Stock Exchange. (Bottom) George Stubbs, First Skeleton Table, 1766. and of their poor financial situ-
naval victory over France dur- Copper plate drawing (McCunn and Ottaway, 1976). ation 150 years ago, which left
Cell 162, September 10, 2015 ª2015 Elsevier Inc. 3
CELL 8415Please cite this article in press as: Goldstein, A Well-Hung Horse: Sired by Knowledge and Imagination, Cell (2015), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/
j.cell.2015.08.039
the Fourth Plinth empty and bare. And University) and Stephen J. Elledge (Brig- Cancer Center), who pioneered a mono-
now Haacke, a German-American, has ham and Women’s Hospital), for discov- clonal antibody approach that unleashes
come to the rescue—not with a sculpture eries concerning the DNA damage the immune system to treat cancer, as
of a real horse, but with the bare bones of response—a mechanism that protects first exemplified by the clinical success
King George’s horse. the genomes of all living organisms. The of CTLA-4 antibody therapy for metastatic
In addition to the historical references, maintenance of genome integrity is a melanoma. Allison’s discovery of immune
there is a political bite to Gift Horse. The daunting task, owing to the constant as- checkpoint blockade has now been
ticker-tape on the skeleton’s leg is a sault on DNA by external agents (e.g., extended to other T cell inhibiting path-
reminder that money is the power that chemicals, radiation, UV light, etc.) and ways (e.g., anti-PD-1) for treatment of
drives both the good and the bad in the errors occurring during normal DNA repli- not only melanoma, but of other malig-
world and the dynamic behind modern- cation. Witkin’s groundbreaking research nancies, including lung cancer.
day income inequality. Then there is the in the 1960s on UV radiation in bacteria Public Service Award
provocative title of Gift Horse. It is almost led to the identification of the SOS In much the same way that Haacke’s
certainly an allusion to the Greeks’ Trojan response, a global response in which knowledge of complex contemporary so-
Horse that led to the saying ‘‘Beware of DNA damage leads to the expression of cial and financial systems stimulated him
Greeks bearing gifts.’’ Is Haacke telling diverse gene products that not only to expose those things in the world that
us to ‘‘Beware of brokers bearing hot enhance DNA repair and cell survival, need to be brought to attention, this
tips’’? but also increase mutagenesis and ge- year’s LaskerBloomberg Public Service
George Stubbs and Hans Haacke pro- netic variability. The mechanism medi- Award honors Médecins Sans Frontières,
duced their art in two different centuries. ating the bacterial SOS response involves an organization renowned for its bold
Yet, they achieved greatness by a similar the activation of about 30 unlinked but and innovative responses to leadership
route: both used existing knowledge as a coordinately regulated genes, each in health emergencies, as recently exem-
stepping stone to imagination. Stubbs’ controlled by a bacterial operon involving plified by its frontline response to last
knowledge of the anatomy and physiology the same repressor (LexA) and inducer year’s Ebola crisis.
of horses stimulated him to unite science (RecA). For a more detailed account of this
and art in creative ways that resulted in In the late 1980’s, 25 years after Wit- year’s Lasker awardees, please refer
his becoming one of our great portrait kin’s classic work in bacteria, Elledge to the Lasker website at www.lasker
painters. Haacke’s knowledge of complex began his studies of the DNA damage foundation.org and to the articles in this
contemporary social and financial sys- response in more complex organisms, issue of Cell.
tems stimulated him to expose in original working first in yeast and subsequently
ways those things in the world that need in mammalian cells. He discovered that
REFERENCES
to be brought to public attention. eukaryotic cells sense and respond to
DNA damage by a fundamentally different Grasskamp, W. (2004). Hans Haacke (Phaidon
2015 Lasker Awards: A Marriage of mechanism than bacterial cells even Press).
Knowledge and Imagination though the two systems share the same Hood, J. (2005). Trafalgar Square (Sterling
Like Stubbs and Haacke, the 2015 Lasker overarching theme. The eukaryotic mech- Publications).
Awardees possess an intuitive talent for anism is mediated by a signaling system Hughes, R. (1984). George Stubbs: a vision of four-
creating something new by blending involving a protein kinase cascade that legged order. Time, November 19, 1984.
knowledge with imagination. This special senses damaged DNA. Once activated, London Gov UK. (2015). Gift Horse on Fourth
knack for newness allowed them to the kinases produce multiple cellular re- Plinth. https://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/arts-
make discoveries that opened new fields sponses, including changes in cell-cycle culture/fourth-plinth/2014-2015-commissions.
of biomedical science. In much the way control, DNA repair, apoptosis, auto- Longmuir, E. (1997). The National Gallery Compan-
that Stubbs redefined portraiture by imag- phagy, and telomere maintenance as ion Guide (National Gallery Company, Limited).
inative choice of subject matter and inno- well as pathways involving RNA process- McCunn, J.C., and Ottaway, C.W. (1976). The
vative elimination of background noise, ing and modulation of energy metabolism. Anatomy of the Horse by George Stubbs (Dover
this year’s medical research laureates Human mutations in key components of Publications, Inc.).
have produced original portraiture that this signaling cascade, such as those dis- Rott H.W., ed. (2012). George Stubbs: Science into
explicitly and distinctly illustrates how rupting the function of ATM kinase, cause Art (Prestel Verlag).
our cells respond to DNA damage and genome instability and cancer, as occur in Springer G.F., ed. (1967). J.H. van’t Hoff’s 1878
how our immune system deploys a patients with Ataxia Telangiectasia. Imagination in Science (Springer-Verlag).
powerful strategy to fight cancer. Clinical Award Viereck, G.S. (1929). What life means to Einstein.
Basic Award The LaskerDeBakey Clinical Research The Saturday Evening Post, October 26, 1929.
The Lasker Basic Research Award honors Award honors the scientist James P. Alli- Warner, M., and Blake, R. (2004). Stubbs & the
two scientists, Evelyn M. Witkin (Rutgers son (University of Texas MD Anderson Horse (Yale University Press).
4 Cell 162, September 10, 2015 ª2015 Elsevier Inc.
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