Portraits of birds in pen, pencil and acrylic paint: raptors, songbirds, tropical and water birds, studied feather by feather.
Cuckoo in flightCommon cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) in flight with open wings, grey and coppery brown plumage, orange feet on a branch. Dense hatching on a white ground.Blue bird among the branchesBird with blue and violet plumage, a coppery breast and a long tail, perched among thin branches and green leaves. Coloured hatching on a white ground.KingfisherKingfisher (Alcedo atthis) in profile on a twig, with a turquoise blue back, ochre yellow breast and orange feet. Soft pale background.PeacockPeafowl (Pavo cristatus) with its head turned back, deep blue neck, a crest of blue feathers and a green tail with blue eyespots. Fine coloured hatching.Great hornbillsTwo great hornbills (Buceros bicornis) on a branch, with large yellow and red bills, black faces and black and cream plumage. Colour on a white ground.TernTern standing in profile, with a blue cap, blue and brown back, white belly and a long forked tail. Light hatching on a pale background.Tropical birdSmall tropical bird on a branch, with a green and blue head, yellow belly, brown back and a red patch near the tail. Bright colours on a white ground.CormorantCormorant (Phalacrocorax) with a long, sinuous neck and bill raised, a blue eye and dark grey plumage. Grey tonal hatching on a white ground.Falcon on a branchFalcon perched on a branch, seen from the front, with a cream and orange breast, slate blue back, yellow feet and a barred tail. Coloured hatching on white.PartridgePartridge in profile, with a coppery breast and a greyish brown back, and a tuft of upright feathers behind it. Warm hatching on a pale ground.
Mammals, reptiles, insects and sea creatures: Francesco Munari’s wildlife, between naturalistic realism and close attention to the texture of fur and scales.
PigletsThree piglets with orange and black coats: one sniffs the ground while two rest on it. Soft blended colour on a white and pale grey ground.LobsterRed lobster (Homarus gammarus) seen from three quarters, with large claws in the foreground and thin antennae. Saturated red tones on a white ground.MandrillMandrill in profile gripping a bamboo cane. Blue muzzle and grey-blue fur in dense hatching, with orange highlights on a light ground.Black pigBlack and white spotted pig in profile, drawn in grey hatching with soft pink and ochre touches. Faint, slender trees sketch the background.Sphynx catReclining sphynx cat with wrinkled, hairless skin rendered in grey hatching. Pink ear, yellow eye and a softly shaded white background.Ring-tailed lemurRing-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) walking along a rope. Its tail shows black and white rings in grey hatching, with orange tones in the fur on white.FoxRed fox (Vulpes vulpes) running in profile. Orange coat, dark legs and grey tail in fine coloured hatching on a light ground.WalrusesGroup of walruses huddled together, with long white tusks and brownish-pink skin in coloured hatching. Bright yellow background with a white halo around the animals.SnakeYellow snake with dark blotches, coiled in loops on a pale branch. Fine coloured hatching on a white and pale blue ground.Humpback whaleHumpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) swimming at an angle, pectoral fin and ventral grooves in view. Grey hatching with blue shading on a light ground.
Animals out of context: a hippopotamus with a cigar, a zebra with a lollipop, an elephant in a tutu. Naturalistic drawing meets surreal play.
Hippopotamus with a cigarHippopotamus in profile with a lit cigar between its lips and a thin trail of smoke. Grey hatched skin and a pinkish eye on a softly shaded white ground.Zebra with a lollipopZebra in profile with its mouth open, reaching for a pink and white spiral lollipop. Bold black stripes on a pale grey ground.Elephant in a tutuAsian elephant in profile, in grey tonal shading, wearing a bright pink tutu around its body. The contrast between bulk and costume creates the irony. White ground.Tiger and roseTiger (Panthera tigris) roaring with open jaws beside a pink rose with green leaves. Orange and black hatching on a light ground.Rhinoceros and roseWhite rhinoceros in profile, in grey tonal shading, with a long-stemmed red rose resting on its horn. The flower is the only touch of colour. Light ground.Bull in high heelsLong-horned bull in grey hatching, wearing a pair of pink high-heeled shoes. The shoes are the only colour. Pale grey ground.Wildebeest with denturesWildebeest head with pale horns and brown-grey fur, fitted with a large pink and red set of dentures in place of its mouth. Coloured hatching on a light ground.Chick and tennis racketYellow chick balancing on the rim of a tennis racket with a blue and grey frame. Softly blended colour on a pale bluish ground.Hornbills and lampTwo hornbills with large yellow and orange bills, beside a coloured glass table lamp on a black shelf at left. Coloured hatching on a light ground.Hornbill and ashtrayHornbill with a large yellow and orange bill and a red eye, looking at a metal ashtray floating at lower left. Coloured hatching on a pale grey ground.
Female bodies in chiaroscuro, fragmented and recomposed on black fields, with gold inserts and graphic marks.
Striped bodyFemale nude in profile crossed by horizontal black bands over shades of pale blue, with a vertical black field and a gold strip on the left.Gold discFemale figure with her face tilted upwards, rendered in cool blues on a black ground, with a disc of gold leaf resting on the neck.FoilNude female torso in bluish chiaroscuro on a black ground, crossed vertically by a foil whose guard is drawn with precision.FragmentsFemale nude seen from behind in luminous greys, broken into irregular patches and black rectangles that merge into the black ground.Fragments, the sheetThe sheet showing the female nude from behind, fragmented by black rectangles and framed by a black field on a white ground.Nude from behind with goldFemale nude from behind with hair pinned up, in pinkish tones on a pale ground, marked by drips of gold leaf along the arms and hips.1972Nude female figure with arms crossed over the chest, in shaded greys between vertical black bands and a pale stripe bearing the number 1972.VirginNude female torso in grey chiaroscuro on a black field, with the zodiac symbol of Virgo painted in black on the side of the body.LoveWoman in profile with a bun and arms spread wide like wings at the water line, on a black ground, with the letters L O V E on either side.OpusReclining female nude seen from behind, in soft greys with deep shadows, crossed by thin diagonal lines and the word Opus.
Women’s faces between realism and symbol: flowers, birds, shells and moons accompany the gaze.
LaughterClose-up of a laughing female face with closed eyes and red lips, in delicate colour on a white ground, the rest of the sheet left blank.CurlyPortrait of a smiling young woman with thick curly hair, built up in dense hatching in greys and ochre, with the face in soft colour.Portrait with hummingbirdPortrait of a young woman looking straight at the viewer, with pink lips, beside a hovering hummingbird with green and blue plumage.Portrait with blue flowersFace of a young woman framed by a rosy headscarf, with a branch of small light-blue flowers on the left, on a pale ground.MoonHalf-length portrait of a woman with long dark braids and her face turned towards the viewer, with a grey moon showing craters on the right.Portrait with little birdWoman in profile from behind, wearing a pale turban and with closed eyes, her lips close to a small bird perched on her shoulder, in soft greys.Lips and shellsTwo fragmented female faces with red lips and bold lashes, colourful shells, a large black field and a patch of gold leaf.
Fruit, vegetables and everyday objects in pen, pencil and acrylic paint, with the soft light of the classic still life.
Bananas, grapes and appleStill life of a hand of yellow bananas, a bunch of green grapes and two red apples, in bright colour with visible hatching on a pale ground.PearsThree pears shaded in red and yellow, the central one with a curved stalk, set on a pale ground with lightly suggested shadows.WatermelonTwo slices of watermelon with pink flesh, black seeds and striped green rind, in translucent colour on an almost empty white ground.NutcrackerA metal nutcracker in grey tonal shading with reflections, gripping an open walnut with a pale green kernel and an orange shell.AsparagusA loose bundle of purple asparagus spears criss-crossing, with pinkish tips and stems shaded in lilac, grey and red, on a pale ground.Onions and shallotsA heap of golden onions in the foreground with purple shallots behind, showing thin papery skins and soft hatching on a pale ground.CandiesA cluster of glossy sweets in green, pink, blue, violet, ochre and red, with bright highlights and grey shadows on a pale ground.Garlic and shallotA head of garlic and two pink shallot bulbs, their skins shaded in ivory and magenta, on a bluish ground with light shadows.Runner beansRunner bean pods in pink flecked with yellow, hanging from vines with translucent green leaves, on a pale ground.BananasA hand of yellow bananas, one of them half-peeled, in luminous colour with light grey shadows on the pale surface below.
