Anatomical art

The initial inspiration for this series was a visit to the now infamous exhibit “BodyWorlds” in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I have always been drawn to the study of human anatomy, and became very close to the anatomical works of Marco d’Agrate and Leonardo Da Vinci during my five-year stay in Italy, which occurred shortly after completing intense training on figure drawing at The Fredericksburg Art Guild in Texas.

This series of paintings are intended as a unique combination of medical illustration and classical figurative painting, showing the human form with swaths of anatomical underpinnings (Figure 1). The paintings offer the viewer a glimpse inside the human body in a way that doesn’t evoke a clinical tone. As many anatomical drawings in classical biology books do, my hope is that viewers will see the beauty of what we take for granted-the inner workings of our bodies. Perhaps by looking at these paintings (the whole collection can be found at www.Anatomyfineart.com), my audience can receive new insights that lift their consciousness of what it means to be human.

Figure 1 A female figure in a classical pirouette pose against a cubist background, showing the skeletal systems of the foot, leg, back and shoulder.

Acknowledgements

Disclosure: The author declares no conflict of interest.