Art

Double vision

Cristy Gelling
By Cristy Gelling
Jan. 24, 2013

She was searching for something to contribute to a professor’s birthday symposium when she started noticing images in the protein structures he had published: a birthday present, then a cat bringing a birthday cake. She made a simple animation of the images using PowerPoint so that she could contribute something to the celebration. “It was not very artistic in the beginning,” she recalls.

Photo of Maja Klevanski

Most biochemists look to the Protein Data Bank for structural data, but Maja Klevanski looks to it for artistic inspiration. Klevanski, a graduate student at the University of Heidelberg, first got the idea of translating the ribbon models of protein structures into art when she was preparing her diploma thesis at Harvard.

But over time, her method has become more elaborate. To find her images, she rotates protein structures until she begins to see something interesting and then begins a painstaking process of drawing over the structure, redrawing and tweaking the rotation until the image in her mind is fully realized on the page.

Last year, a collage of her work titled “Nature playing chess” reached the top 10 in the illustration category of the 2012 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. She says she hopes to publish a book one day that combines her art with the science behind it. “But, first of all, I have to finish my Ph.D.!” she says.

You can find more of her work at her website, where she also takes requests to re-imagine your favorite protein: www.protein-art.com.

Activin
drunken girl
CDK5-p25
insulin
LpIA
nanobody
p53
ricin
RUNX1
synaptotagmin-3
Taq polymerase
TLR4-MD-2

Enjoy reading ASBMB Today?

Become a member to receive the print edition four times a year and the digital edition monthly.

Learn more
Cristy Gelling
Cristy Gelling

Cristy Gelling is writing student at Carnegie Mellon University and a writer at Bitesize Bio.

Get the latest from ASBMB Today

Enter your email address, and we’ll send you a weekly email with recent articles, interviews and more.

Latest in People

People highlights or most popular articles

Gaze into the proteomics crystal ball
In-person Conference

Gaze into the proteomics crystal ball

July 1, 2025

The 15th International Symposium on Proteomics in the Life Sciences symposium will be held August 17–21 in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Bassler receives National Medal of Science
Member News

Bassler receives National Medal of Science

June 30, 2025

She was recognized for her research on the molecular mechanisms bacteria use for intercellular communication.

2025 ASBMB election results
Society News

2025 ASBMB election results

June 25, 2025

Learn about the new president, secretary, Council members and committee members.

2025 PROLAB awardees announced
Society News

2025 PROLAB awardees announced

June 24, 2025

Seven early-career scientists receive grants to advance their research by working in North American labs.

Yu receives early career research award
Member News

Yu receives early career research award

June 23, 2025

He will receive $35,000 to fund his research on the proteotype and cell signaling.

Neurobiology of stress and substance use
Profile

Neurobiology of stress and substance use

June 19, 2025

MOSAIC scholar and proud Latino, Bryan Cruz of Scripps Research Institute studies the neurochemical origins of PTSD-related alcohol use using a multidisciplinary approach.