Exquisite Watercolor Paintings Imagine the Human Body Intertwined With Nature

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

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Many artists find inspiration in the diverse beauty of nature. For watercolorist Anna Rakitina, it is the rich forests of her native Siberia. Tall pine trees, small leafy plants, fungi, and flowers are some of the many environmental motifs that appear in her artwork. In most of her paintings, she renders the flora true to life with three-dimensional shading and meticulous detail. However, two of her most recent pieces explore our relationship with nature in exciting abstract designs.

Rakitina's piece titled You are here features an emerald-green illustration of a human heart that is permeated by delicate plant life and patterns. White and black tree branches appear to stretch inside the chambers and some leaves even reach outside. Similarly, Breathe depicts a verdant pair of lungs that are made up of dozens of twisting botanicals. Both of these watercolor paintings combine elements of the human body with the environment in a folk art style inspired by Scandinavian illustrations. In this way, Rakitina's striking imagery captures our deep connection with nature.

You can purchase prints of Rakitina's art via her Etsy shop, and see more watercolor paintings by following the artist on Instagram.

Siberia-based artist Anna Rakitina creates exquisite watercolor paintings inspired by nature.

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

“Breathe”

Two of her pieces combine elements of the human body with botanical motifs.

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

“You are here”

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

“You are here” (detail)

In addition to those surreal pieces, Rakitina creates beautiful paintings of trees, pinecones, flowers, and more.

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Paintings by Anna Rakitina

Anna Rakitina: Etsy | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Anna Rakitina.

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Margherita Cole

Margherita Cole is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met and illustrator based in Southern California. She holds a BA in Art History with a minor in Studio Art from Wofford College, and an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice from Falmouth University in the UK. She wrote and illustrated an instructional art book about how to draw cartoons titled 'Cartooning Made Easy: Circle, Triangle, Square' that was published by Walter Foster in 2022.
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