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Allen
Debus continues his review of great figures from the history of palaeoart. |
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Perhaps the most prolific paleoartist was Zdenek Burian (1905-1981).
Relatively little is known of Burian outside his native land. He
was born in the town of Koprivnice in northern Moravia on February 11,
1905. In 1919, he undertook an Art curriculum at the Academy of Prague.
Thereafter, he met Czech paleontologist and stratigrapher, Josef Augusta
(1903-1968). Inspired by the renderings of Charles R. Knight, Burian
produced many scenes of prehistoric fauna and flora, which became known
to an English-speaking audience, principally through the writings of Augusta.
In 1935, Burian
completed his first fossil restoration, that of two species of |
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Temnospondyli
(labyrinthodonts). Over the next 46 years, Burian would complete
nearly 500 prehistoric animal restorations and landscapes.
The Burian/Augusta association
grew over the years. Today, to the English-speaking audience, their work
is represented by six magnificent volumes - 'Prehistoric Animals' (1956),
'Prehistoric Man' (1960), 'Prehistoric Reptiles and Birds' (1961), 'The
Book of Mammoths' (1962), 'Prehistoric Sea Monsters' (1964), and 'The Age
of Monsters' (1966). These were written by Augusta, and featured
Burian's superb paintings and illustrations. There were others books
too, published in Czechoslovakian, including, 'Life Long |
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