Mesozoic Art: Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Animals in Art

by Steve White (Editor), Darren Naish (Editor)

Showcases the work of twenty leading paleoartists who expertly bring these extinct animals to life in exquisite detail.

Dinosaurs are endlessly fascinating to people of every age, from the youngest child who enjoys learning the tongue-twisting names to adults who grew up with Jurassic Park and Walking with Dinosaurs. As our knowledge of the prehistoric world continues to evolve and grow, so has the discipline of bringing these ancient worlds to life artistically. Paleoart puts flesh on the bones of long-extinct organisms, and illustrates they world they lived in.

Mesozoic Art showcases twenty of the best artists working in this field, representing a broad spectrum of disciplines, from traditional painting to cutting-edge digital technology. Some provide the artwork for new scientific papers that demand high-end paleoart as part of their presentation to the world at large; they also work for the likes of National Geographic and provide art to museums around the world to illustrate their displays. Other artists are the new rising stars of paleoart in an ever-growing, ever-diversifying field.

Arranged by portfolio, this book brings this dramatic art to a wide, contemporary audience. The art is accompanied by text on the animals and their live, written by palaeontologist Darren Naish. Paleoart is dynamic, fluid and colourful, as were the beasts it portrays, which are showcased in this magnificent book.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Science, Palaeontology, Dinosaurs, Natural History, Biology

208 pages, Hardcover

First published November 22, 2022

About the author

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Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word, this is a very cool book, and besides illustrating ancient life, it exposes the reader to a burgeoning world of artists, turning cutting edge research into art. For "sense of wonder" it really can't be topped, and I have no qualms in giving it top marks.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely book of artwork from various paleoartists, depicting possible views of prehistoric life based on what the fossils can tell us. The artwork range from near realistic depictions of life in prehistoric times to abstract pieces that let the artist's imagination run wild while still featuring recognisable prehistoric life.

Each chapter features the artwork of one paleoartist. A short write-up on the artist is given, followed by the artwork. Each piece of artwork has a description of what is depicted in the art, including some information on the prehistoric animals and / or plants in the art.

What makes these paleoartworks different from other depictions of life in prehistoric time in popular media is their dedication to keeping their depictions of life accurate. They include information on what is known about the prehistoric life based on fossil information. There are speculative parts (like possible hide colouration or depicted behaviour), but these are still based on what the fossil says, unlike media depictions of prehistoric life that can be purely imaginary.

The paleoartists include those that are well known to me (like John Conway and Mark Witton) and others that have created artwork for museums, exhibitions or other works on prehistoric life. The works featured range from digital art to watercolours and other physical media. And they give a fascinating look at how life might have been in prehistoric times.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, love, love this gorgeous book. Really enjoyed the various artists interpretations of these animals.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful art portfolios showcasing the diverse artistic talent in the Paleoart world. Wonderful windows into lost worlds of the past, with excellent context supplied by Darren Naish. A book I will read and flip through many times in the future.

[Jonathan Jedrasik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning book with illustrations from 40 different artists on paleoart depicting all the new advancements, as well as more rebellious depictions of dinosaurs, feathers and all.

A must for all dinosaur lovers

[Carlos De Miguel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como otros libros de la misma editorial y los mismos autores (Dinosaur Art I y II), Mesozoic Art es un imprescindible para aquellos amantes del paleoarte. Una impresionante selección de algunos de los más influyentes paleoartistas de la actualidad y sus maravillosas obras, brillando más que nunca impresas a todo color. La cantidad de tiempo que puedes echar mirando los detalles de muchas de las ilustraciones no es precisamente pequeña. Totalmente recomendado

[Oliwia Majewska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read! For me, as someone who has loved dinosaurs and prehistory in general since childhood, it was a wonderful feeling to have the opportunity to see the works of paleoartists in the form of a comprehensive publication. I knew some of them long before reading, others I only got to know thanks to this book. This is my first artbook on the subject of prehistory, and I am truly delighted! The execution, the content, the number of artists who shared their works. In short - a masterpiece! Or maybe we should say... a collection of masterpieces!

[Trike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous art with interesting tidbits about the animals depicted. Some of them were new to me, like this Chibi-looking dino, Platyhystrix:

https://ibb.co/hL30f1D


With a large variety of artists (40) and art styles, it’s hard to pick a favorite, but I quite liked Julio Lacerda’s work.

https://ibb.co/x8FKNPZ

[Matthew Charmley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A worthy addition to the series. The book does a great job shining a spotlight on the astonishing growth of the paleoart community facilitated by the internet, and highlights a wide range of artistic styles beyond the conservative realism traditionally associated with the genre.
I also like the change in format, away from the interview + pictures of the previous books, to a pictures with captions layout. While I did enjoy the interviews, I prefer having more attention on the artworks.

[Philip Higgins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another lovely top quality hardback showcasing the best of today's paleoartists. In a collection of this type some art will always appeal more than others: there are a lot of arty pics here where the creatures seem almost incidental and few of the "red in tooth and claw" raptors that float my boat. Still, an excellent anthology if not quite up to the standards of Dinosaur Art 1 & 2 in my 'umble opinion.

[Luke Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous collection of modern paleoart. So fun to see so many of these artists I discovered as Up And Comers With A Twitter Account make it into a big, glossy, respected coffee table volume. The variety of approaches that are embraced here are absolutely lovely to see. A joy!

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recent Reads: Mesozoic Art. Darren Naish and Steve White have put together a collection of art from leading paleoartists that requires a slow browse, absorbing it a page or so at a time. It's a mix of styles that goes beyond the familiar photorealism, a gallery of the possible.

[Lyle Blosser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful coffee-table book containing a wide-ranging look at numerous extinct life-forms rendered in different styles, all wondrous to look at, with insightful commentary for each image. A worthy successor to the author's previous two volumes: Dinosaur Art and Dinosaur Art II.

[The Inquisitive Biologist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mesozoic Art is a gorgeously produced, large-format portfolio that shows the very best of current palaeoart. Read my full review at https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023...

[Charlotta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of different artists, more picture than I expected when I looked at the prewiev of the book :). One minor complaint is that a few pictures ended up partet by the joint in the middle of the book.

[Á · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute eye candy! An amazing compilation of paleoart from a number of fabulous artists.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Witton is a phenomenal paleoartist but given his proliferation I feel his segment in this book could have been used to spotlight a lesser known paleoartist.

[Ronda Canary · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Rykon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Прекрасная книга. Чуть более поверхностная, чем предыдущие две, но лучше все равно больше ничего нет.

[Rel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is just really cool (very dramatic and engaging and cleverly composed) images of rad and beautiful dino paintings.

[Nicholas Sly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal, beautiful book!

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cool art!

[Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of various paleoartists that showcases their work. Lots of great artwork in a variety of styles and mediums. Not sure which artist was my favorite. Definitely worth reading if your either a dinosaur or art lover.