Meet Street Anatomy, a new regular slideshow column that features biomedical art curated by illustrator Vanessa Ruiz. In her own words:
Having a balanced interest in art and science led me to the field of medical illustration, a career that I, like many people, had no idea existed.
While researching medical illustration, I became disappointed at the lack of information online. So, I began to educate the public about medical illustration -- to take "anatomy to the streets," so to speak. What started as a simple educational blog became a platform for showcasing anatomical art. My training as a medical illustrator allows me to appreciate and evaluate anatomical art on a different level. Setting complete scientific accuracy aside, I prefer to look for boundary pushing concepts and excellent execution.
I strive to showcase and promote artists who consistently find innovative ways to portray anatomy in their work. The ultimate goal of Street Anatomy is to foster an artistic and scientific appreciation for the human body.
In this slideshow, Italian artist composes his paintings as if they were in a dissection atlas, adding scribbled notes and inserting surgical tool-grasping hands. But he also integrates elements of nature in such a subtle manner that you might miss them at first. The anatomy is such a deep gritty color, contrasting against the lighter sketches of trees and birds.
Nunzio says: "My whole work deals with the relationship between man and Nature, in particular with animals and plants. The focus of my observation is body with its mutations. My intention is to explore the infinite possibilities of life, in search of a balance between reality and imagination."
The relationship between nature and the body is a common theme in anatomical art. Recently we've featured the detailed root work of and the flora and fauna infused collages of . The ideas always fluctuating between the body emerging from nature or returning to it.
View more of Nunzio Paci's stunning work at . A version of this slideshow first appeared at .