Art is often less about making something pretty to look at and more about making people think. When the artist can do both, that’s when their work goes to the next level.

Nunzio Paci does this with his pencil and oil paintings, exploring our interconnectedness with the earth and its creatures through an exploration of anatomy. His work strips the human form bare and then juxtaposes plant and animal life with our own inner workings, eliciting a sense that we’re all part of the cycle at our fundamental core. The result is part exploration of our physical make-up and part whimsical interpretation of our place in nature.

At the root of it, we all share the earth and are made up from the same basic parts. Paci’s work shines a light on how interwoven that fabric truly is. Translated from his native Italian, Paci says of his work, “My whole work deals with the relationship between man and nature, in particular, with animals and plants.” He goes on to say, “The focus of my observation is body with its mutations. My intention is to explore the infinite possibilities of life, in search of balance between reality and imagination.”

Le radici mi fecero vedere, la terra mi fece

(The roots made me see, the soil made me breathe)

Il vento che scolpisce le tu vene

(The wind that sculpts your veins)

In Gabbia

(In The Cage)

Irrigherò la mia carne con acqua pulita, ogni giorno

(I will irrigate my flesh with clean water, every day)

L’inquietudine del mattino

(The anxiety of the morning)

Erbivoro

(Herbivore)

Radice

(Root)

Foresta Gravida

(Pregnant Forest)

Image Credits: Nunzio Paci/nunziopaci.it