Paleoart
Encyclopedia
Paleontology
Paleontology "old, ancient", ὄν, ὀντ- "being, creature", and λόγος "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions with each other and their environments...
. These may be representations of fossil remains or depictions of the living creatures and their ecosystems.
Since 1999, the 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...
has awarded the John J. Lanzendorf PaleoArt Prize for achievement in the field. The society says that paleoart "is one of the most important vehicles for communicating discoveries and data among paleontologists, and is critical to promulgating vertebrate paleontology across disciplines and to lay audiences". The SVP is also the site of the occasional/annual "PaleoArt Poster Exhibit", a juried
Juried (competition)
A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
poster show at the opening reception of the annual SVP meetings.
The Museu da Lourinhã
Museu da Lourinhã
Museu da Lourinhã is a museum in the town of Lourinhã, west Portugal. It was founded in 1984 by GEAL - Grupo de Etnologia e Arqueologia da Lourinhã ....
organizes the annual International Dinosaur Illustration Contest for promoting the art of dinosaur and other fossils.
Notable, influential paleoartists
- Robert T. BakkerRobert T. BakkerRobert T. Bakker is an American paleontologist who helped reshape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were endothermic...
1960s-90s, led the Renaissance of "active" dinosaurs - Zdeněk BurianZdenek BurianZdeněk 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...
1960s-81, cultural influence during these years (i.e. toys) - Mark Hallett 1970s-Present
- Gerhard HeilmannGerhard HeilmannGerhard Heilmann was a Danish artist and paleontologist who created artistic depictions of Archeopteryx, Proavis and other early bird relatives apart from writing The Origin of Birds, a pioneering and influential account of bird evolution...
1920s, first to restore tail-in-air dinosaurs - Doug HendersonDoug HendersonDouglas John "Doug" Henderson is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Newcastle North from 1987 until 2010.-Early life:...
1980s-00s - Charles R. KnightCharles R. KnightCharles Robert Knight was an American artist best known for his influential paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals...
1890s-1940s, biggest influence of early 20th century (i.e. movies) - Gregory S. PaulGregory S. PaulGregory Scott Paul is a freelance researcher, author and illustrator who works in paleontology, and more recently has examined sociology and theology. He is best known for his work and research on theropod dinosaurs and his detailed illustrations, both live and skeletal...
1970s-Present, biggest influence of late 20th century-21st century - Rudolph F. ZallingerRudolph F. ZallingerRudolph Franz Zallinger was an American-based artist notable for his mural The Age of Reptiles at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History and for the popular illustration known as March of Progress , one of the world's most recognizable scientific images.-Biography:Zallinger was born in Irkutsk,...
1950s-60s, cultural influence during these years (i.e. toys)
Past 2D paleoartists
- Othenio Abel deceased, active 1910s
- James E. Allen deceased, active 1950s
- Andrew Avinoff deceased, active 1930s
- Robert T. BakkerRobert T. BakkerRobert T. Bakker is an American paleontologist who helped reshape modern theories about dinosaurs, particularly by adding support to the theory that some dinosaurs were endothermic...
active 1960-90s, led Renaissance - Bill BerryBill BerryWilliam "Bill" Thomas Berry is a retired American musician, multi-instrumentalist, best known as the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. In addition to his drumming duties, Berry played many other instruments including guitar, bass guitar, and piano, both for songwriting and on R.E.M....
deceased, active 1960s - Frank Bond deceased, active 1890s-1900s
- Zdeněk BurianZdenek BurianZdeněk 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...
deceased, active 1960s-81 - Kenneth CarpenterKenneth CarpenterKenneth Carpenter is a paleontologist. He is the museum director of the USU Eastern Prehistoric Museum and author or co-author of a number of books on dinosaurs and Mesozoic life...
active 1980s - Erwin Christman deceased, active 1910s
- Margaret Colbert active 1970s
- Henry de la BecheHenry De la BecheSir Henry Thomas De la Beche FRS was an English geologist and palaeontologist who helped pioneer early geological survey methods.-Biography:...
deceased, active 1900s - Carroll Lane Fenton deceased, active 1930s-50s
- Amédée ForestierAmédée ForestierSir Amédée Forestier was an Anglo-French artist and illustrator who specialised in historical and prehistoric scenes, and landscapes.-Life and work:...
(1854 – 1930) - notable for his Nebraska ManNebraska ManNebraska Man was a name applied by the popular press to Hesperopithecus haroldcookii, a putative species of ape. Hesperopithecus meant "ape of the western world," and it was heralded as the first higher primate of North America...
and Glastonbury Lake VillageGlastonbury Lake VillageGlastonbury Lake Village was an iron age village on the Somerset Levels near Godney, some north west of Glastonbury, Somerset, England. It has been designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and covers an area of north to south by east to west....
illustrations. - Rudolf Freund deceased, active 1930s-40s
- James M. Gleeson deceased, 1890s-1900s
- Heinrich HarderHeinrich HarderHeinrich Harder was a German artist and an art professor at the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin....
deceased, 1910s-20s - Benjamin Waterhouse HawkinsBenjamin Waterhouse HawkinsBenjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was an English sculptor and natural history artist renowned for combining both in his work on the life-size models of dinosaurs in the Crystal Palace Park, Sydenham, south London...
deceased, active 1850s-1870s - Gerhard HeilmannGerhard HeilmannGerhard Heilmann was a Danish artist and paleontologist who created artistic depictions of Archeopteryx, Proavis and other early bird relatives apart from writing The Origin of Birds, a pioneering and influential account of bird evolution...
deceased, active 1920s - Ferdinand von HochstetterFerdinand von HochstetterChristian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter was a German geologist.He was born at Esslingen, Württemberg, the son of Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter , a clergyman and professor at Bonn, who was also a botanist and mineralogist...
deceased, active 1850s-1870s - Matthew Kalmenoff deceased, active 1950s-80s
- Eleanor M. Kish active 1970s
- Vladmir Krb active 1980s
- Othniel Charles MarshOthniel Charles MarshOthniel Charles Marsh was an American paleontologist. Marsh was one of the preeminent scientists in the field; the discovery or description of dozens of news species and theories on the origins of birds are among his legacies.Born into a modest family, Marsh was able to afford higher education...
deceased, active 1890s - Jay Matternes active late 1960s-present
- Charles R. KnightCharles R. KnightCharles Robert Knight was an American artist best known for his influential paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals...
deceased, active 1890s-1940s - John MartinJohn Martin (painter)John Martin was an English Romantic painter, engraver and illustrator.-Biography:Martin was born in July 1789, in a one-room family cottage, at Haydon Bridge, near Hexham in Northumberland, the 4th son of Fenwick Martin, a one time fencing master...
deceased, active 1830s - William Diller MatthewWilliam Diller MatthewWilliam Diller Matthew FRS was a vertebrate paleontologist who worked primarily on mammal fossils....
deceased, active 1900s-10s - Arthur Miles deceased, active 1910s, under L. Lambe's direction
- Mary Mason Mitchell deceased, 1910s, under Oliver Hay's direction
- Edward Newman deceased, active 1840s
- George OlshevskyGeorge OlshevskyGeorge Olshevsky is a freelance editor, writer, publisher, amateur paleontologist, and mathematician living in San Diego, California.Olshevsky maintains the comprehensive online Dinosaur Genera List...
active 1980s - Richard OwenRichard OwenSir Richard Owen, FRS KCB was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist.Owen is probably best remembered today for coining the word Dinosauria and for his outspoken opposition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection...
deceased, active 1850s - Neave Parker deceased, active early 1960s
- G.E. Roberts deceased, active 1910s
- William E. Scheele deceased, active 1960s
- J. Smit deceased, active 1890s-1910s
- Ernest Untermann deceased, active 1930s
- Alice B. WoodwardAlice B. WoodwardAlice Bolingbroke Woodward, an English illustrator, was born October 3, 1862 in Chelsea, London. Her father Henry Woodward, was an eminent scientist and the Keeper of Geology at the Natural History Museum. As a child, Alice was educated at home by governesses, along with her four sisters and two...
deceased, active 1910s - Jean Day Zallinger deceased, active 1950s-80s
- Peter Zallinger active 1970s
- Rudolph F. ZallingerRudolph F. ZallingerRudolph Franz Zallinger was an American-based artist notable for his mural The Age of Reptiles at Yale's Peabody Museum of Natural History and for the popular illustration known as March of Progress , one of the world's most recognizable scientific images.-Biography:Zallinger was born in Irkutsk,...
deceased, active 1950s-60s
Post-Renaissance, Published 2D paleoartists
- Mauricio AntonMauricio AntónMauricio Antón Ortuzar 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,...
1990s- - Andrey Atuchin 2000s-
- Wayne D. Barlowe 1990s
- John BindonJohn BindonJohn Dennis Arthur "Biffo" Bindon was a British actor and bodyguard who had close links with the London underworld. In numerous films, he played gangsters or tough police detective. Bindon has been described as "the archetypal actor-villain, and an all-round 'good geezer'". He was also notable for...
1990s- - Davide Bonadonna 2000s-
- Donna Braginetz 1990s
- Karen CarrKaren CarrKaren Carr is a wildlife and natural history artist based in Silver City, New Mexico. Her artwork has been featured in traditional and electronic media, in publications, zoos, museums and parks across the United States, Japan and Europe....
2000s- - John ConwayJohn ConwayJohn Conway may refer to:* John Horton Conway, mathematician at Princeton University. Popularly known for Conway's Game of Life* John B. Conway, mathematician, functional analyst, George Washington University...
2000s- - Julius T. CsotonyiJulius T. CsotonyiJulius Thomas Csotonyi is a Canadian paleoartist and natural history illustrator living in Winnipeg, Canada. He specialises in photo-realistic restorations of dinosaurs, paleo-environments and extant animals. His techniques encompass both traditional and digital media...
2000s- - Ricardo Delgado 1990s
- Alex EbelAlex EbelAlex Ebel is a science fiction and fantasy illustrator. A few examples of his illustrations are on the covers for the books Galaxies and The Sun by Isaac Asimov, Evil Earths by Brian Aldiss, Ability Quotient by Mack Reynolds, Homefaring by Robert Silverberg, and one of his most famous - The Left...
2000s - Larry Felder 1990s
- Tracy Lee Ford 1990s-
- Brian Franczak 1990s
- John R. Gurche 1980s
- James GurneyJames GurneyJames Gurney is an artist and author best known for his illustrated book series Dinotopia, which is presented in the form of a 19th century explorer’s journal from an island utopia cohabited by humans and dinosaurs...
1990s - Tess Kissinger 1990s
- Gabriel Lio 2000s
- Jorge GonzalezJorge GonzálezJorge González may refer to:* Jorge González , Puerto Rican marathon runner* Jorge González , Puerto Rican beach volleyball player* Jorge "Negro" González , Argentine jazz bassist...
2000s - Todd S. Marshall 2000s-
- Raul Martin 1990s-
- John McLoughlinJohn McLoughlinDr. John McLoughlin, baptized Jean-Baptiste McLoughlin, was the Chief Factor of the Columbia Fur District of the Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Vancouver. He was later known as the "Father of Oregon" for his role in assisting the American cause in the Oregon Country in the Pacific Northwest...
1970s - Mike Milbourne 1990s
- Josef MoravecJosef MoravecJosef Moravec is a Czech paleoartist and painter currently living in the USA. He specialises in paintings of dinosaurs and has studied fossils for over 35 years to gain the necessary knowledge about them....
1980s- - Robert Nicholls 2000s-
- Takashi Oda 1990s-
- William ParsonsWilliam ParsonsWilliam Parsons may refer to:*William Parsons , Master of the King's Music*William Parsons , English writer associated with the Della Cruscan movement*William Barclay Parsons , American civil engineer...
1990s- - Fabio Pastori 2000s
- David Peters 1980s-
- Patrick Redman 1990s
- Luis ReyLuis ReyLuis V. Rey is a Spanish-Mexican artist and illustrator, a 1977 graduate of the San Carlos Academy, . He is best known for his innovative work in the field of dinosaur paleoart, for example in conjunction with Robert T. Bakker, promoting awareness of the developing evidence for feathered dinosaurs...
1980s- - Paul SerenoPaul SerenoPaul Callistus Sereno is an American paleontologist from the University of Chicago who discovered several new dinosaur species on several continents. He has conducted excavations at sites as varied as Inner Mongolia, Argentina, Morocco, and Niger...
1990s - John SibbickJohn SibbickJohn Sibbick is a British freelance illustrator, perhaps best known for his reconstructions of prehistoric life in several media.Sibbick studied Graphics and Illustration at Guildford College of Art in the south of England...
1980s- - Michael Skrepnick 1990s-
- Jan SovakJan SovákJan Sovák is a Czech paleoartist and renowned painter currently living in Canada . He has done many paintings for various scientists including paleontologist Phil Currie. Many of his paintings depict dinosaurs and other popular primeval organisms.Sovák was born in former Czechoslovakia and moved...
1980s- - Christopher Srnka 2000s-
- Gary Staab 1990s
- William StoutWilliam StoutWilliam Stout is an American fantasy artist and illustrator with a specialization in paleontological art. His paintings have been shown in over seventy exhibitions, including twelve one-man shows. He has worked on over thirty feature films, doing everything from storyboard art to production design...
1970s- - Aibou Tanaka 1980s
- Franco Tempesta 2000s-
- Peter TruslerPeter TruslerPeter Trusler is an Australian wildlife artist who illustrates native Australian birds and represents biologically rigorous reconstructions of prehistoric fauna....
1990s- - Joe Tucciarone 2000s-
- Robert F. Walters 1980s-
- Mark Witton 2000s-
- Seiji Yamamoto 2000s-
Current 3D paleoartists
- Kazunari Araki 1980s-
- Jorge BlancoJorge BlancoJorge Blanco is an artist from Venezuela before he emigrated to the United States in 1999. Jorge Blanco is currently residing in Sarasota, Florida. He has spent his professional career working as a sculptor, graphic designer and illustrator...
1990s- - Jorge GonzalezJorge GonzálezJorge González may refer to:* Jorge González , Puerto Rican marathon runner* Jorge González , Puerto Rican beach volleyball player* Jorge "Negro" González , Argentine jazz bassist...
2000s- - Davide Bonadonna
- Roby Braun 1990s-
- Jason Brougham 1990s-
- Brian CooleyBrian CooleyBrian Cooley is an Editor at large for CNET and their senior pundit, seen frequently on CNN, ABC News, CNBC as well on the TV screens in most major tech retailers around the U.S...
1980s- - Sean Cooper 1990s-
- Guy Darrough 1990s-
- Shane Foulkes 1990s-
- Cliff GreenCliff GreenCliff Green is an Australian screen writer, whose best known work is Picnic at Hanging Rock .He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in June 2009...
1990s- - Tyler Keillor 1990s-
- David Krentz 1990s-
- Shinobu Matsumura 1990s-
- Charles McGrady 1990s-
- Tony McVey 1970s-
- Bruce Mohn 2000s-
- Galileo Nuñez 2010s
- Jon Rader 2000s-
- David RankinDavid RankinDavid Rankin is a New York-based Australian artist. He works predominantly in oil and acrylic on canvas, but also works with paper, prints, sculptures and ceramics. Rankin has held over 100 one-person exhibitions in cities across the world and his work forms part of many of the world's leading...
2000s- - Mark Reykopf 2000s-
- Forest Rogers 1980s-
- Matt Smith 1980s-
- Paul Sorton 2000s-
- Joe Tippmann 1990s-
- Hirokazu Tokugawa 1990s-
- Hall Train 1980s-
Past 3D paleoartists
- Juan Carlos Alonso 1990s-00s
- Roby Braun 1990s-00s
- Steven Czerkas 1970s-00s
- Sylvia Massey Czerkas 1970s-80s
- Floyd Easterman 1980s
- Vernon Edwards 1910s-20s
- Jerry Finney 1990s
- Charles Whitney Gilmore
- Benjamin Waterhouse HawkinsBenjamin Waterhouse HawkinsBenjamin Waterhouse Hawkins was an English sculptor and natural history artist renowned for combining both in his work on the life-size models of dinosaurs in the Crystal Palace Park, Sydenham, south London...
1850s-1870s - Charles R. KnightCharles R. KnightCharles Robert Knight was an American artist best known for his influential paintings of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals...
1900s-40s - Richard Swann Lull 1910s
- Dan LoRusso 1990s-00s
- Tony Merrithew 1990s
- Garfield Minott 1990s-00s
- Bob Morales 1990s
- Maximo Salas 1990s-00s
- Ron Seguin 1980s
- David Thomas 1980s-90s
- Michael Trcic 1990s-00s
- Gregory Wenzel 1990s
- Larry Williams 1980s