Street Anatomy

Meet the Medicine Man

From the man that was crazy enough to bring us the anatomy of a balloon animal and the anatomy of a gummy bear, comes the Medicine Man.  Yes, Jason Freeny has done it again, giving yet another inanimate object an anatomy of its own. So fun, so bizarre.

Anatomical Charts you Won’t Find at the Doctors Office

Say goodbye to boring anatomical charts and hello to the quirky anatomical charts of Tom Giesler.

Whether he’s pulling down his pants, stripping off his skin, or taking apart his head, the unique ways in which Tom reveals his anatomy is what makes these charts so entertaining. Tom infuses humor into every little detail.  He even makes up his own anatomical terminology—trans-luminutive confluisis, tricepticle, juggler vein—which upon first glance sound almost convincing.

So who is this Tom Giesler?  Is he a medical illustrator trying to take down the establishment of the standard anatomical chart?  Or is he simply trying to show off his anatomy?  I decided to contact Tom and find out more about the man behind—and in—the charts.  And here’s what I found out:

He’s not a medical illustrator, but is a self-trained illustrator and painter.  He found his niche as a patent illustrator while working for a medical device company about 13 years ago.  Most of his current clients are medical device companies in the San Francisco bay area.

He says, “my Anatomical series was fun but took me out of my comfort zone of hard, flat mechanical shapes that I had figured out how to paint.”

As for the inspiration behind the anatomical charts:

“Over the years I’ve collected a lot of medical anatomy books. They’ve sort of pleasure reading for me. I’ve been trying to figure out a way of expressing my excitement about anatomy and finally decided the most direct way was to simply show “my stuff” to the world.

My goal was to,

A) keep it personal

B) keep it upbeat (i admit a few of these strayed from that goal)

C) have each chart makes sense in it’s own context, no matter how absurd the premise.”

I think he’s succeeding in all three goals!

Take a look at Tom’s portfolio site for more fascinating anatomical chart designs!

[spotted by the awesome medical illustrator Megan]

Young Anatomy in Art

Vanilla Sky

Skeleton in the City

Young Australian student, Alyssa Anaimugan, does a nice job incorporating anatomy into her work.  These pieces have a slight street art feel to them. Hope she continues using the anatomical theme!

Light up Anatomy

Heart (8h x 6w x 2.8d)

Got your digits (8.5w x 12.35h x 5.5d)

Sargent  (12h x 9.5w x 5.5d)

Miracle baby (8h x 6w x 2.8d)

Brain ( 8h x 6w x 2.8d)

Life (8h x 6w x 2.8d)

Chris Elsasser tells me that while he doesn’t do street art, he creates “indoor anatomical art with lightboxes” using his own designs or actual x-rays. They’re quite unique pieces that would make a great addition to any room.  Love the illustrations, design, and concept.

They’re available for purchase on his website, Munstre, along with prints, shirts, and accessories.  I’m thinking of getting a couple myself to add to my growing anatomical art collection.

It Happened on a Sunday…

“Cupid and Centaur” (1992)

A very interesting image by Joel-Peter Witkin, an American photographer with a fascination for the morbid, sexual, and unordinary.

As a child, Witkin witnessed a horrific car accident that would influence his work later on in life.

It happened on a Sunday when my mother was escorting my twin brother and me down the steps of the tenement where we lived. We were going to church. While walking down the hallway to the entrance of the building, we heard an incredible crash mixed with screaming and cries for help. The accident involved three cars, all with families in them. Somehow, in the confusion, I was no longer holding my mother’s hand. At the place where I stood at the curb, I could see something rolling from one of the overturned cars. It stopped at the curb where I stood. It was the head of a little girl. I bent down to touch the face, to speak to it — but before I could touch it someone carried me away.

Look through his portfolio and you’ll see just how this experience permeates through all his works.

[via Heather]