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Beautiful Anatomical Paintings Depict Animals Filled with Pastel Flowers

nunzio paci anatomical art

With his new series Mimesis, Italian artist Nunzio Paci continues his exploration into the natural world. Instead of combining the human body with nature, his anatomical art takes a new form, intertwining animals with delicately executed floral motifs.

Working in oil and pencil, Paci's new work is based on Plato and Aristotle's theories on reality and imitation. “In Mimesis, flora and fauna not only copy one another, they enmesh themselves in each other’s existence forming a cohesive organism, in an attempt to take shelter from the totality of the outside world,” Paci shares via email.

The pale flowers embed into the muscles and skeletons of Paci's animals, transforming them into a symbiotic being where one is reliant on the other. The pastel coloration differs from Paci's previous work, which typically takes on dark, rich tones. The change in palette was influenced by his residency in the Philippines, where he executed the work for an exhibition at the Galerie Stephanie in Manila.

The flora on each canvas is heavily influenced by species he discovered while in the Philippines, soaking in the country's total influence and using it to inform his art. Conversely, the animals bleed over from other experiences, such as the deer he discovered during a previous stint in Norway.

“In Mimesis, Nunzio Paci takes the typically clinical study of human and animal anatomy, removes it from coldly laid out textbooks and neatly-labeled diagrams and reintroduces discomfort, imbuing it with context surpassing the lived experience of the once living and breathing human being,” writes Kara de Guzman

Nunzio Paci combines flora and fauna into one organism for a unique take on anatomical art.

nunzio paci anatomical art

nunzio paci anatomical art

nunzio paci anatomical art

nunzio paci anatomical art

nunzio paci anatomical art

nunzio paci anatomical art

Nunzio Paci: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Nunzio Paci.

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Meticulously Detailed Drawings of Surreal Human Anatomy

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Beautiful Anatomical Illustrations Intertwine the Human Body with Nature

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Contributing Writer and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book 'Street Art Stories Roma' and most recently contributed to 'Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini'. You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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