Paleo Art is the practice of combining the disciplines of science and art to create the most realistic depictions of ancient life as possible. We cannot have photographs of real dinosaurs but need the artist to interpret the remains and use the skills an artist to create a realistic image.
This type of art is so fascinating because science progresses and the most realistic is a subjective term. Science changes and can change rapidly. The widespread acceptance that dinosaurs had feathers was not accepted during the first Jurassic Park film but was mainstream by the third. Paleo Art can become out of date very quickly despite tropes within the artwork being very long lived.
Origins of Paleo Art
Consider this Victorian piece, considered by many critics to be the one of the earliest pieces of true paleoart. It is a scene of the Jurassic ocean and features creatures discovered by Mary Anning. In fact, the proceeds from sales were given to this most famous fossil hunter. These are locked in mortal combat just like modern and previous less scientific images. The idea of dinosaurs as violent, fierce beasts has a long pedigree.
Dinosaur art is not confined to water colours but includes life sized models. The first such Dinosaur Park is at Crystal Palace. These dinosaurs are now hopelessly out of date, they were even out of date before they were unveiled. They follow the scientific advice of Owens and are depicted as slow swamp dwelling creatures without dynamism or inclination to do anything lively. The Iguanodon for example has a horn on its nose which should be on its thumb. This is a big and slow-witted beast that needs a second brain to tell it someone has stepped on its tail. They are the product of the most advanced scientific knowledge of the time which unfortunately was overtaken by new advances and specimen.
Influence of Charles Knight
Charles Knight, who worked in the first half of the 20th century has had the greatest impact on the public perception of dinosaurs. In this image we see the familiar facing off, an Allosaurs and a triceratops. This familiar scene would be used on everything from postcards to film and featuring in The Lost World (1925). From The Lost World, Knight’s dinosaurs would spread into all dinosaur films until very recently but still even in the latest edition of Jurassic Park there is the whiff of Knight.
Despite being dated Paleo art is still an iconic advancement in the world of science and the way dinosaurs are represented. We should not write it off because this is where it all started and without crude water colours of an imagined world of violence under and uncaring blue sky, we would not have modern block busters like Jurassic Park.
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