The Artist and the Scientists Bringing Prehistory to Life

About this book

Presents the extraordinary lives and works of eminent paleontologists Patricia Vickers-Rich and Tom Rich, and Peter Trusler, one of the finest artists of scientific realism Australia has produced. Over more than thirty years, Patricia, Tom and Peter have travelled across Eastern Europe, Asia, the Americas, Africa, Australia and New Zealand in search of the remains of early life, including fish, dinosaurs, birds and mammals. Their successful expeditions, and the many publications and exquisite artworks that have ensued, are a testament to their scientific methodology, thirst for knowledge and eye for detail.

The book follows the development of selected works of art covering the last 600 million years of the geological record. Told from the viewpoints of both scientist and artist, the reader is given a unique insight into the process of preserving and recording the evolution of prehistoric life.

Contents

Foreword;
Acknowledgements;
Geologic time;
Introduction;
1. A new paint box;
2. The dragon chasers;
3. The beginning: Bacchus Marsh Diprotodon;
4. The art of the fossil book;
5. Dinosaurs from China;
6. Wildlife of Gondwana;
7. The dinosaurs of darkness;
8. A Moa mummy: A classic dissection;
9. Magnificent Mihirungs;
10. Where the wind bites: Patagonia;
11. The rise of animals: Back to the Precambrian;
12. Chinese and Australian mesozoic mammals;
13. The last of the mob;
14. The art of humour and enchantment;
Conclusions;
Glossary;
References;
Index.

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Biography

Patricia Vickers-Rich is Professor, Chair of Palaeontology, and Founding Director at Monash Science Centre, Monash University. Thomas H. Rich has worked at Museum Victoria for 34 years, initially as Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology and presently as a Senior Curator of programs and research. Peter Trusler is a freelance paleo-reconstruction and biological artist and is a zoological science graduate from Monash University.