Mauricio Antón
Encyclopedia
Mauricio Antón Ortuzar (Bilbao
, Spain
1961) is a paleoartist and illustrator
specialized in the scientific reconstruction of extinct life, well known for his influential paintings of hominids, extinct carnivores and other vertebrate
fossil
groups. His works illustrate a great number of books, scientific papers, private collections and museums in many parts of the world. He works currently in association with the Natural Science Museum in Madrid
.
(Venezuela
) in the 1970s, Mauricio became fascinated with the skeleton of the saber-tooth tiger Smilodon fatalis on exhibition at the local museum. Ever since, he has been working and improving his techniques to bring fossils alive, being especially interested in felids, hominids and other vertebrates. As he puts it in one of his books (El secreto de los fósiles ) “It is the responsibility of the scientific paleo-illustrator to make sure that his images rigorously transmit the knowledge that the paleontologists have gathered from specific extinct species
.”
To do this he gathers data from extant species, travelling the world extensively, working hands on fossils, dissecting specimens donated by zoos, researching on extinct species with specialists and using extant ecosystems as a basis for the reconstruction of past ones. He has been an advisor on paleobiology
, biomechanics
, animal locomotion
, and habitats of extinct vertebrates for various media ( BBC
, National Geographic Society
, Natural History
, Discovery Channel
, etc). He has benefited from the influences of paleoart
masters such as Charles R. Knight
, Rudolph Zallinger, Zdenek Burian
, Jay Matternes and others from whom he not only recognizes the technological advances but also the conceptual progress they made.
Since the year 2004 he works in collaboration with animation
studios "The Fly Factory" in the application of 3D modeling
and animation
to the reconstruction of past life. In 2006 he won the "John Lanzendorf
" prize to the best scientific illustration from the SVP (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
). In 2009 he was invited by the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
to visit their Beijing
Museum and also the new Museum and fossil
sites at Hezheng in central China
, where he made firsthand observations of undescribed carnivore
fossils.
In 2009-2010 he contributed to the "Extreme Mammals" exposition of the American Museum of Natural History
, New York.
Bilbao
Bilbao ) is a Spanish municipality, capital of the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. With a population of 353,187 , it is the largest city of its autonomous community and the tenth largest in Spain...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
1961) is a paleoartist and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
specialized in the scientific reconstruction of extinct life, well known for his influential paintings of hominids, extinct carnivores and other vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
groups. His works illustrate a great number of books, scientific papers, private collections and museums in many parts of the world. He works currently in association with the Natural Science Museum in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
Life and career
Being a teenager in CaracasCaracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
(Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
) in the 1970s, Mauricio became fascinated with the skeleton of the saber-tooth tiger Smilodon fatalis on exhibition at the local museum. Ever since, he has been working and improving his techniques to bring fossils alive, being especially interested in felids, hominids and other vertebrates. As he puts it in one of his books (El secreto de los fósiles ) “It is the responsibility of the scientific paleo-illustrator to make sure that his images rigorously transmit the knowledge that the paleontologists have gathered from specific extinct species
Extinct species
This page features extinct species, organisms that have become extinct.* List of extinct animals* List of extinct plants...
.”
To do this he gathers data from extant species, travelling the world extensively, working hands on fossils, dissecting specimens donated by zoos, researching on extinct species with specialists and using extant ecosystems as a basis for the reconstruction of past ones. He has been an advisor on paleobiology
Paleobiology
Paleobiology is a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and findings of the earth science paleontology...
, biomechanics
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is the application of mechanical principles to biological systems, such as humans, animals, plants, organs, and cells. Perhaps one of the best definitions was provided by Herbert Hatze in 1974: "Biomechanics is the study of the structure and function of biological systems by means of...
, animal locomotion
Locomotion
The term locomotion means movement or travel. It may refer to:* Motion * Animal locomotion** Terrestrial locomotion* TravelLocomotion may refer to specific types of motion:* Gait analysis* walking* running, including trotting...
, and habitats of extinct vertebrates for various media ( BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, Natural History
Natural History
Natural history is the scientific study of plants or animals.Natural History may also refer to:In science and medicine:* Natural History , Naturalis Historia, a 1st-century work by Pliny the Elder...
, Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
, etc). He has benefited from the influences of paleoart
Paleoart
Paleoart is an informal term first coined by Mark Hallett for art that depicts subjects related to paleontology. These may be representations of fossil remains or depictions of the living creatures and their ecosystems....
masters such as Charles R. Knight
Charles R. Knight
Charles Robert Knight was an American artist best known for his influential paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals...
, Rudolph Zallinger, Zdenek Burian
Zdenek Burian
Zdeněk Michael František Burian was a Czech painter and book illustrator whose work played a central role in the development of palaeontological reconstructions during a remarkable career spanning five decades...
, Jay Matternes and others from whom he not only recognizes the technological advances but also the conceptual progress they made.
Since the year 2004 he works in collaboration with animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
studios "The Fly Factory" in the application of 3D modeling
3D modeling
In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical representation of any three-dimensional surface of object via specialized software. The product is called a 3D model...
and animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
to the reconstruction of past life. In 2006 he won the "John Lanzendorf
John Lanzendorf
John J. Lanzendorf is an American hairstylist who amassed one of the world's largest collections of dinosaur-themed artwork. The collection is now owned by the Children's Museum of Indianapolis....
" prize to the best scientific illustration from the SVP (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology was founded in 1940 for individuals with an interest in vertebrate paleontology. SVP now has almost 2,000 members. The society's website states that SVP "is organized exclusively for educational and scientific purposes...
). In 2009 he was invited by the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of China is a prominent research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaurand cat poo specimens...
to visit their Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Museum and also the new Museum and fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
sites at Hezheng in central China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, where he made firsthand observations of undescribed carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
fossils.
In 2009-2010 he contributed to the "Extreme Mammals" exposition of the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, New York.
Publications
Among his most well known books are:- The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives: An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural History, Columbia University Press, in collaboration with Alan Turner
- Evolving Eden: an Illustrated Guide to the Evolution of the African Large Mammal Fauna, Columbia University Press, in collaboration with Alan Turner
- The National Geographic Book of Prehistoric Mammals, National Geographic, in collaboration with Alan Turner
- Mammoths, Sabertooths and Hominids: 65 Million Years of Mammalian Evolution in Europe with Jordi Agustí
- Dogs, their Fossil Relatives and Evolutionary History with Xiaoming Wang and Richard Tedford
- La Gran Migración. La Evolución Humana más allá de África, Editorial Crítica 2011,with Jordi Agustí