By Keiko Honda, Ph.D., MPH   What is the value in learning to draw portraits? This question goes, unexpectedly, to the heart of the shared roots of art and science. In this essay, I aim to fertilize the soil for growing a new dialogue on the role emotional engagement plays in the relationship between art and science. I have recently been watching YouTube videos on portraiture. It is fascinating to watch master artists create portraits out of a blank sheet of paper, with only a pencil or stick of charcoal. If done well, the artists can explore their own feelings about the human condition. I always wonder how these artists acquired their skills. “Open your feeling, Open your senses! The first step is the conversation,” says a passionate YouTube artist who teaches portraiture. At the instant he is rhythmically drawing a large, very loose shape on a blank sheet of paper, he exclaims, “This [his arm movement] is emotional engagement.” Right there, I paused the YouTube video I was watching and replayed that part again and again. There was some dissonance between what I heard and what I saw. I did not expect to harvest deep insight when watching a rudimentary shape being drawn on a large black sheet of paper by the artist I chanced upon on the Internet. What is he talking about? The YouTube artist explains, “Enjoy drawing. Rather than rushing into getting drawings done quickly, you need to take your time to know how to see and understand how abstract elements work together to create an art form,” Simultaneously glancing at his live model, he continues, “No need to do the proportions yet…… When you are working on composition, it is very important at the beginning to open your feeling...