The chairholder of ETSU’s Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence for the Integration of the Arts, Rhetoric and Science is world-renowned paleoartist Mauricio Antón, who has dedicated his life to traveling and working as a natural history artist illustrating ancient life.
“Perhaps the most exciting aspect of my work is the possibility to do research on the functional anatomy of extinct animals, and to materialize the results of that research in the form of dynamic, engaging images,” said Antón.
Antón has been working with ETSU’s Museum of Natural History at the Gray Fossil Site, creating images of prehistoric animals from the fossils that have been recovered there.
Recently, Antón managed to create a reconstruction of Pristinailurus, better known as Gray’s red panda.
“This creature is known only from this fossil site, and its bones are so incredibly well preserved that it is possible to make a very detailed reconstruction of its anatomy and life appearance,” Antón said. “Using material from ETSU anatomy collections, I can conduct comparisons between Pristinailurus and its living relative, the red panda. During my stay I expect to create more complete and detailed artwork showing the likely life appearance and locomotion of this beautiful creature.”
Antón’s artwork has been published in many books, magazines and museum exhibitions around the world, including National Geographic Magazine. Antón also collaborated with The British Broadcasting Corporation, Discovery and National Geographic for documentary films, including series like “Walking with Beasts” and “Wild New World.”
Right now, Antón is working on an illustrated book about the evolution of cats in Africa, a project he’s been working on for years.
“I have been privileged to study amazing fossils of extinct felids, including sabertooth, in several African museums,” Antón said. “Also, I have spent a lot of time in the African wilderness observing the big cats in their natural environments. Now I want to bring together those experiences in one single, heavily illustrated book.”
