“Mesozoic Art: Dinosaurs and Other Ancient Animals in Art” edited by Steve White, by Darren Naish

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Rating: 4/5 Stars.

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.

Book read from 2025/08/08 to 2025/08/13.