The human body has been inspiring art since at least the Venus of Willendorf. Greek reliefs, Rennaissance paintings, Mayan carvings, and Indian sculptures all celebrate the form. Traditionally, however, artists focus rather narrowly on the body's outside.
It may take an unusual muse to be deeply inspired by the body's insides. Artist Lisa Nilsson possesses just such a muse--as well as the skill to create breathtakingly beautiful, anatomically accurate cross-sections of the human body with quilled paper.
"I like to emphasize the reverential and the precious," she writes of her Tissue Series, "to have a look inside is such a privilege."
Quilling consists of rolling long thin strips of paper into coils, then folding and arranging the coils into shapes and patterns. Nilsson tends to select paper colors to match her subjects--red for muscle, white for nerves--and she has a particular penchant for using the gilt edges of old books to make bones.
Despite the fanciful intricacy of the technique, Nilsson strives for realism. Her female and male torsos are scaled down somewhat, but the other works are life-size, and displayed in correct alignment. Transverse (horizontal) sections are laid flat on shelves, while saggital and coronal (vertical) sections stand tall.