The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi

Paleoart, known also as paleoillustration or paleontography, can be considered subdivision of natural history illustration or wildlife art, but it is best described as fine mixture between art and science aiming at the realistic reconstruction of extinct flora, fauna, and even whole ecosystems. Bringing paleontological discoveries to the wide public and being the powerful tool for science communication it is, paleoart remains largely overlooked not only by the average person, but also from both artists and scientists. A sad fact indeed, but true nonetheless. It won’t be far-fetched to say that there are only few titles dedicated to this field, so few that they can be count on one’s fingers. Thus, the release of Csotonyi’s and White’s “The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi” is a major event in the world of paleoart (as was its predecessor “Dinosaur Art: The World’s Greatest Paleoart”). Event which can be described with just one word – “quality”. From the featured art, through the science (where it is presented), to the good print and quality paper, it’s all a high quality product!Julius Csotonyi is one of the most prolific and successful paleoartists in recent years, all due to his enormous artistic talent (keep in mind he is self-taught artist!) combined with his understanding of science (he is also published scientist with BSc in Ecology, MSc in Environmental Biology and PhD in Microbiology). Recently, he is the one to illustrate many of the newly described (mostly) dinosaur species or major paleontological discoveries/studies. This volume comprises the biggest collection of his artwork available to date, some of which absolutely new or appearing for first time outside the institutions where it is displayed. Given that most of Csotonyi’s recent art involves combination of photomanipulation and digitally painted animals, it is not surprising this is the prevalent type of artwork included in the book. While photomanipulation is tricky technique, Julius Csotonyi clearly knows his stuff and for the most part the results are amazing – it is like the viewer is not looking at extreme detailed print of a mural, but instead transported back in time to those distant worlds, surrounded by animals that most people can’t even imagine. But it is not all about photomanipulation! “The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi” offers the whole palette of artist’s employed paleoartistic techniques, which means there are plenty of traditional ink and pencil drawings, acrylics and watercolor paintings, as well as digital drawings and paintings. In my opinion, it is those artworks showing the full scale of Csotonyi’s talent. Vibrant, realistic and on many occasions thought-provoking, his drawings and paintings leave no one indifferent opening their eyes for worlds long gone.The book itself is organized in several chapters, with three of them covering the three eras of the Phanerozoic eon – the Paleozoic, the Mesozoic, and the Cenozoic. Each era chapter includes artworks depicting animals and whole ecosystems from this time interval. While it is unfortunate that the art is not ordered chronologically following geological periods, or even stages, it is no wonder that the book designers did not go for this, considering what a tremendous amount of designer’s work such a task is. The art included comes in variety of sizes, ranging from small square-ish works to big murals that cover up to 4 pages (there are several fold-outs), which makes it nearly impossible for organizing in better way than the general “divided into eras” approach. Some of the artworks are treated as case studies and for them more detailed information is provided, usually in relation to the depicted species or relevant study/discovery. For a couple of his brand new digital paintings, Csotonyi provides thorough explanation of his working process – from collaboration with paleontologists and storming out ideas, through the “sketch”-phase and clearing of concept, to his employed digital techniques and working process. All explanations and the accompanying “work-in-progress” images reveal to the reader how complex and difficult the work of paleoartists can get, requiring knowledge on various scientific fields like paleontology, geology, zoology, botany, ecology, and even physics. A detailed interview with the artist (situated as separate chapter in the beginning of the book) reveals even more about Csotonyi’s history, preferred artistic tools and techniques, scientific background and training, his other interests and future plans, and probably most important of all – his philosophy about the world we live in. Almost all of the artworks are accompanied by comments or anecdotes by many paleontologists who had collaborated with Csotonyi, or enjoy and appreciate his work. It is those small comments providing much of the science information in the book. While science information and facts are there by default (it is a book about paleoart after all) the volume is light on scientific content (not much jargon used there), so it should be fairly easy read for any layman. Also, there is nice little glossary at the end of the book.Many people criticize the book for the small font size used, and while I can understand them, I don’t agree with their criticism. Usually font/text size is a matter of personal preference, and there are many people who think that small text looks and works better within layout, improving the overall design. In this particular case, I think that the usage of small text size is forced by the nature of the book’s content, which is art often with size that makes it hard to fit in your usual book layout. Csotonyi’s art needs space and small font size is one of the means to afford it. While there are some places where larger size could have been used, design should be uniform throughout the book and graphic designers were probably with tied hands. As a person who wears glasses, I have no problems reading the text even from distance at which most people read books. I think that book’s design and layout is tight, clear and generally eye pleasing.Even with all the compliments it deserves, “The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi” is not without its little flaws, even if pointing out those may be considered nit-picking. The things which are bugging me most are: 1) the geochronological chart is outdated by about a decade and as it is clearly from recurring typo it is just copy-pasted from “Dinosaur Art”; 2) some of Csotonyi’s reconstructions appear to be conservative just for the sake of being conservative, and/or slightly inaccurate, which is most obvious in his feathered dinosaurs and especially in how the wings are structured. This is in contrast with the premise that the featured art is as accurate as possible. Of course this is not meant to say his paleoart is not top-notch (which it is!), just that it is puzzling considered everything else is as accurate as it can get. Maybe the reason is that many of these artworks are commissioned by paleontologists, which means the artist is obligated to depict their ideas and not his own, no matter who’s the one providing better interpretation of the available data; 3) for some of the murals, especially those depicting less known species of fish, amphibians, and lizards, it is a bit difficult for the reader to understand which animal is which. Some kind of number code (it is present once or twice in the book) would have been pretty useful for laymen, and is something worth considering by the publisher if there are going to be more books of this kind. On the other side, one may get interested in learning more about those names and the animals behind them and thus going to Wikipedia or Google Scholar, which is a great way for self-education and/or sparkling further interest in the topic. After all it may not be bad decision to leave animals identity a bit hard to understand.Even when its small flaws are considered, this book deserves the highest rating possible, and anything less does not seem right. I can say for sure that “The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi” will be enjoyed by everyone with interest in paleontology or art, paleontologists and paleoartists alike, no matter of their professional status. This book will surely be especially inspirational for young paleoartists, at least it was for me. It is without a doubt major event for the world of paleoart.In my opinion, this volume is highly recommended for anyone with even passing interest in the subject, no matter of their age. Kids will surely love it, so if you’re parent who wants to spark their kid’s interest in natural world and natural history, or have kid already interested in dinosaurs, “The Paleoart of Julius Csotonyi” is one of the best presents you can think of (along with its predecessor “Dinosaur Art”). With a price of 20-something dollars, it is a great deal – you are going to get much more than you are paying for!

Very accurate and well done

A total visual feast - Csotonyi is, almost without a doubt, the producer of the most visually compelling paleo-art today and this book is a celebration of his artwork (I don't know if it is to be regretted that it is such a relatively small sample of his illustrations or if it is a delight knowing that there is so much more of it out there waiting to be discovered). This book - and Csotonyi's art - reawakens all the thrill one used to feel, as a kid, looking at pictures of dinosaurs. While Csotonyi works in a multitude of media, both traditional and digital, the majority of the pieces showcased here are the result of his "photographic composite" technique, a method in which he is both a pioneer and a virtuoso, with results that are so incredibly "photo-realistic" that one almost wonders where he was standing when he "got the shot". If you want a look at some of his more traditional work, you will need to supplement this book with the "Dinosaur Art" book (also reviewed), which shows a fair amount of his digital paintings/drawings as well as his traditional media work. The illustrations in this book are almost all presented in the largest scale the book size will allow, printed on excellent paper stock, with full, true tone color and with multiple 2, 3 and even 6 page "fold-outs" (the "6 pagers" having half the picture on each side of a 3 page fold-out). The detail is so astounding (and the reproduction here so excellent) that one can spend hours perusing a single picture, absorbing details that are easily missed on any more cursory exam. Be aware, however, that this is an art book, NOT a "dinosaur book". The text is chiefly composed of interviews with the artist and captions for the pictures are relatively terse - the general subject ("Mesozoic Landscape"), the method of execution ("digital painting/photographic composite") and a very brief listing of the animals (and some of the plants) shown, without more. Altho' Csotonyi does describe, in occasional detail, the considerations that went into the reconstruction, if you are looking for information on the animals depicted, you will come away disappointed. Just as disappointing, from the artist's standpoint, is a lack of discussion of the precise methods used (what parts of the picture are digitally painted? Where does the artist get his photographic material for is compositing, etc.). Think of the text as a rambling chat, over tea, with the artist, in his studio, surrounded by copies of his artwork. Details (both artistic and paleontological) are in short supply and the artist is never really "pushed" for more. What saves the book, tho', is the artwork, and the book doesn't stint on that, offering up a huge number of Mr. Csotonyi's works. If you like art or if you like dinosaurs, then it would be hard to go wrong with this book and, if you really like "dinosaur art", then this is a "must have".

Gorgeous book and overview of Julius Csotonyi's talented artwork, enhanced with computer graphics without compromising the natural abilities of the artist. Rather than a "coffee table book", which it would be most impressive, the book is an excellent source for reference. After reading about Lystrosaurus for the first time (thanks to Neil Shubin), I thought of consulting Julius' paleoart in this book, thinking I had a 50% shot. Sure enough, I was more than half right and Lystrosaurus was there on page 30 along with other Permian survivors, in fact several of them were depicted in a herd. On another occasion as far as excitement took me, I wanted to see our ancestor tiktaalic roseae and of course, looking through to my satisfaction there he/she was in all his/her beauty in the clear life-giving water. It's important to note again in more detail that this is some of the best paleoart I have seen and I believe it is due to the fact that computers were used by an extremely artistic person, which couldn't be done without talent no matter how great the computer software. Anyway, the book was purchased to look for a print or two which would be put on my wall and to this date, there hasn't been a firm selection since all of the pictures are worth hanging on any wall. We just can't go back there to that time nor can we recreate the world to look as it had looked then, and if we could, where would people be? For now, the art in this book is worth 100 words that are synonyms of superb! Thanks Julius for the beauty, appreciation and realism of those who lived here before us! Highly recommended for ANYONE who loves our planet and all that lived here! You won't be disappointed in this great feast.

This is certainly a very colourful volume, absolutely packed with images including fold-out panoramas and supporting drawings.What is apparent to me though is that scientific precision seems to be the strongest element in the work; most (though not all) of the images are digitally rendered and despite the wealth of activity, flora and fauna contained in each picture, there's something lacking. Every photographic trick is employed and the modelling is beautifully rendered, but there's a lack of convincing animation to the approach which leaves me rather cold.I'm not usually critical of digital work as I appreciate the time and effort it takes to produce, but in this instance I was a bit disappointed.It's still a good book for those interested in dinosaurs and paleoart, but – for me anyway - there are other artists who have created more convincing images in this line of illustrative art.3 ½ stars.

This is an interesting book that portrays the world of dinosaurs through artSome interesting impressionsNot quite as good as I had hoped in quality of printBut Recommended

Brilliant book, the art is unreal, it will be a treasured possession. If you want to, lay it on the coffee table for admiration lol. But I have to admit, I bought it for my Dino mad 10 year old. It has been put away carefully til he's old enough to appreciate it as he's probably a bit too young yet.I can't imagine the amount of research that was put into creating the images.

A fantastic book full of full colour amazing drawings. It is well worth the price

Excellent book, full of quality art