Before the surgery channel and gory murder TV, most people did not see the inside of the human body. For those in the medical professions – the barbers and doctors – knowledge of our inner workings was shared through illustration. For centuries, our organs and vessels were mapped in ink and pencil, often with artistic license. Our energies were equally a part of the drawings, from our facial expressions to our alignment with the stars. Vibrant colors burst form our bodies as skin and flesh peel away to reveal muscle and bone. It’s fascinating to see the way the human body was depicted in the 4th century, the 17th century and the 20th century. The artistry has been lost in modern day textbook depictions of our anatomy, and you can see it happening as time progresses. After the jump, check out a gallery of ancient anatomy…

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This year, we decided that rather than telling you what our favorite art posts of the year were, we would take a look at what your favorite art posts of 2012 were. It is an insight into the weird brains of our readers to see the strange and disturbing artworks you were so fond of this year. Maybe it’s the impending change of era, or maybe it’s just what you’re into, but the top visited art posts of 2012 show that our readers not only have excellent taste in art, they are also fascinated with artists who trawl the depths of human evil and depravity. I should mention, H.R. Giger was technically the top art post of 2012, but since he made it to the top of one of our other lists, I decided to go with numbers 2 through 7 for this post. Check out your top 6 picks below and after the jump!

Numer 6: Lucifer’s Sun…NESTOR AVALOS Art Spotlight

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Thom deVita is an artist who also happens to be a tattooist. Since the 1960′s, this human has been making his mark on human skin. Watching pt.3 & pt.4 of this 5 part Vice Tattoo Age documentary, I realized that Thom inspired me beyond belief. So after the jump, it’s your turn to check out this original outsider – and stay tuned for the rest!

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Stevie Floyd is many things: a talented musician, an off the hook tattooist and a killer artist, plus a real cool human being! This is why CVLT Nation is stoked to hear that she is selling her 50 page sketch book HERE. It comes on recycled paper with a hand-screened cover and back, plus it’s tied in dyed twine! Check out the flicks of this rad book after the jump!

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When I think of early rebel culture, cartoonists always come to mind. Growing up in the 70′s & 80′s, I remember looking at Freak Brothers comics, Robert Crumb and other underground artists who explored topics that mainstream culture were too afraid to touch! Spain Rodriguez was another champion of the left wing, and he waged war against the status quo with his pen. He created Trashman, who was a hero who kept up the fight for the working class. I believe that artists like Spain Rodriguez planted the seed in the minds of young weirdos that helped give rise to the punk movement of the 70′s. Today CVLT Nation celebrates this killer artist, who left planet earth on Nov. 28th, 2012, but whose art will inspire future generations of freaks for a long time to come! Check out a huge art gallery of his work after the jump…the attack of the left-minded freaks is in effect!

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Early this week, CVLT Nation celebrated an icon of underground art, Joe Coleman with an awesome art essay (peep it HERE). Today we are featuring the 1997 documentary about him entitled R.I.P…Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Cole. I could not stop watching this film because it’s interesting from the very first frame. While watching this film, you will see a New York that no longer exists and go into the mind of Joe Coleman, both are pretty bugged out places! Check out the streaming link to R.I.P…Rest in Pieces: A Portrait of Joe Cole after the jump!

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Art & Punk have had a relationship since the beginning of the punk movement. These two things have had a very deep bond that is often overlooked. One of my favorite blogs to read & look at is Art 4 Punks! It focuses on how important the graphic designer can be in making an album or fanzine look fantastic plus the art of colored vinyl. I dig how they showcase all sorts of bands but also shine light on the aesthetic of each record. After the jump, check out some of my favorite covers and slabs of vinyl.

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Joe Coleman’s paintings always come from planet freak mode, where the abnormal is the normal! In his twisted world you will find Charlie Manson, Harry Houdni, Hank Williams, Ed Gein, P.T. Barnum and many more. The detail in Joe’s work is amazing, but it’s also the stories that his paintings tell that will leave you transfixed. When I look at his work, I know I’m looking into the mind of a person who has always seen the world on his own terms. This is why today CVLT Nation would like to celebrate the work of Joe Coleman with a huge art essay. Step into the new normal and peep the art of a true American original after the jump!

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Three times evil…Justin Bartlett, aka VBERKVLT, has added skate decks to his arsenal of mayhem and wickedness. With names like “UNHOLY DECOMPOSITION,” “VNDER THE SIGN OF THE BLACK MARK” and “ALPHA OMEGA” you can tell that these decks will be chaos on four wheels. On the real, VBERKVLT killed it on the illustration tip – all three graphics are sick as fuck (I want them all). Check out the the decks below and after the jump, & order them HERE!

We recently reviewed and streamed a track off of ILSA’s Intoxicantations album, and one thing that stood out to us immediately (besides the killer music) was the album cover. We quickly found out that ILSA’s drummer, Joshua Brettell, was the one responsible for this chaotic visual symphony of animals, drugs and death. Joshy (as he signs his work) works in black and white, creating vivid imagery with an almost photographic realness to it. He has done the artwork for his own band, as well as work for Hooded Menace, Abyss, Deathammer and Hubris, and he is able to bring a twisted imagination but a clean aesthetic to his work. His portrait from The Exorcist is both sympathetic and revolting, showing the infected child as clearly as the rotting demon inside her. His work is full of texture and noise, with subjects often screaming out of the page, and at the same time there is always one or many eyes staring directly at you. It’s unnerving to look at one of his compositions because of those confronting eyes and screams, but the way he balances his imagery both in symmetry and color is soothing to the eye. After the jump, check out a small selection of his work…

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