For episode 26, we’re crossing a big one from our list: The work of the legendary Zdeněk Burian, as it appears in 1972’s Life Before Man. Surely, this book is worth an entire episode, so we’re foregoing the interview this month. Niels, Natee and Marc discuss not only the art of the Czech master, but also his life, his beliefs and his enormous legacy. How did Burian get around reconstructing dinosaurs when he had no access to any fossils? Is romance dead in today’s palaeoart? What can we learn from Burain’s portfolio in the modern day? Will Marc be able to type “Petrodactyle” without AutoCorrect ruining his day? And will Niels be able to pronounce it properly? Find out in this special episode.
In the News
Vintage Dinosaur Art
Written by Zdeněk Špinar, Life Before Man initially came out in 1972, though it’s had many revisions since then. The initial version had 162 pieces of art, later versions as many as 180. They span over three decades of Burian’s life.
- David Orr’s initial entry on Burian is here.
- Marc Vincent’s in-depth, four-part review of Life Before Man is here: Part one, part two, part three, part four.
Tyrannosaurus and Trachodon
Devonian Landscape
Pteranodon ptarents
Corythosaurus
Iguanodon
Heroic Tarbosaurus
Gorgosaurus and Scolosaurus
Brachiosaurus
Diplodocus
Plesiosaurus
Pterodactylus
Ichthyosaurs
Styracosaurus
Triceratops
Monoclonius
Protoceratops
Compsognathus and Archaeopteryx
Columbian mammoth and Smilodon
Megaloceros
Platybelodon
Phorusrhacos
Australopithecus
Basilosaurus
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2 Comments
David Howlett
August 23, 2023 at 4:36 pmBack in autumn 2019, I was fortunate enough to visit Zoo Dvur Kralove in northern Czechia and the sizeable art gallery within devoted to Burian; if all goes well, I will be making a repeat visit in a handful of weeks 🙂 definitely a pilgrimage worth making for anyone interested in palaeoart!
Rostislav Walica
August 30, 2023 at 3:01 pmWhen you are in the Czech Republic, you can also visit Burian’s great exhibition of dozens of his Paleocene works in the Anthropos pavilion in Brno. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropos_Pavilion Have you already bought the first part of the three-volume monograph on his paleoart? Of course, you can buy it for the best price in Czechia. I’m just finishing the second volume, it will be released in November…