Italian Artist Silvio Irilli’s Hospital Murals Help Lift Patient’s Spirits

Hospitals can be quite a drag. Sanitized smells, blank walls and ceilings, waiting, anxieties about illness. All in all, most view hospitals as having a quite depressing atmosphere. But not all of them.

More: Silvio Irilli, Instagram, Facebook h/t: boredpanda

For seven years, Italian painter Silvio Irilli has dedicated himself to changing the image of Italian hospitals with his Ospedali Dipinti (Painted Hospitals) project. Over this period, he has managed to radically transform various units of 12 hospitals: from an oculist’s office and reception to children’s, radiology, and cancer units. The artist has a few distinct styles that he uses. He draws very realistic scenes from aquatic life, cartoon-like animals that are well-received with children, and landscapes that give more space to the room.

The artist told Bored Panda what the motivation behind it is: “It means bringing a message of welcome, of support to the doctors who must follow the patient and accompany him for therapy. Above all, it means giving some relief to patients who have to face a path where courage and dignity are needed.”

Irilli acknowledges that a hospital stay could be especially scary for children, and makes an effort into at least making the surroundings as friendly and comforting as possible. “It becomes even more important when the therapy is faced by children, who find themselves by force majeure in a context that is outside their world. It is important to recreate their world in a hospital ward that allows them to continue dreaming. That’s why every work I create must interact with the children, telling them a story so that their therapy path becomes a game.”