Výtvarná rekonstrukce pravěku a evoluce člověka – Půtová Barbora (2024)

This book introduces readers to the changing forms of artistic reconstruction of the prehistoric world, with particular attention to the Upper Paleolithic. It examines the work of Czech and international artists from the nineteenth century to the beginning of the twenty-first century, tracing the development and key milestones of artistic reconstructions of prehistory and human evolution in Europe and the United States. These artists depict the physical appearance and way of life of our evolutionary ancestors, focusing on visualising changes in the morphology of the genus Homo within the context of prehistoric natural ecosystems, flora and fauna. Their work was supported by the steadily growing body of scientific knowledge and empirical data from prehistoric archaeology and paleoanthropology. Artists often worked with contemporary assumptions, archaeological fragments and speculative ideas, leaving room for imagination, creative freedom or escape from established artistic movements. Artistic reconstructions of prehistory and human evolution were therefore created not only by scientifically oriented artists such as Charles R. Knight, Rudolph Franz Zallinger and Zdeněk Burian, but also by Mikoláš Aleš, Jaroslav Panuška and Jan Konůpek. Today, the prehistoric world is depicted by John Sibbick, Julio Lacerda, Cícero Moraes, Élisabeth Daynes, the Kennis brothers, Pavel Dvorský and Petr Modlitba.