The Allure of Vintage Dinosaur Artwork 

Reply to this comment to submit video responses (Here's what I mean by that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KOHMgFxju1g.html )

The science today doesn't devalue the science of the past, the science of the past is what the science of the future is built upon. Don't look at old movies and art thinking that the people back then were crazy believing dino's looked that way, respect it for what it is, a slice of history.

These old depictions of dinosaurs had a type of savage beauty about them , somthing that didn't talk down to children like most of the media for children. These stories , movies and artworks talked about the harsh realities of life in a way that made it bearable even cool. Growing up in South Africa , these depictions of the prehistoric world kind of made my own harsh reality a little more bearable.

Excellent analysis! However detached from our current understanding of dinosaurs as it may be, old-school paleoart was the catalyst that captured the mystery and sparked the intrigue for many of us to become fascinated with dinosaurs, myself included. Without its allure, I don't know that I'd be as interested in dinosaurs as I am today.

I’d love to see a movie mix the more modern depiction of dinosaurs and put them in a world with the tone of retro paleoart. I think blending the two would create an unforgettable experience

There are so many dinosaur books I wish I could see again.

For me, Charles R. Knight's famous T. rex and Triceratops painting is the best painting of all time. Forget the Mona Lisa and anything by Picasso, none of that comes close to the atmosphere and spectacle that painting inspires. Yes, it's outdated compared to our modern understanding, but for its time also forward thinking in how he depicts the T. rex in a much more horizontal pose with its tail off the ground. What I love about that painting and so many other old dinosaur paintings is that they were more than just an illustration based on the scientific understanding of the day which can become outdated at any moment. They were beautiful works of art that are a sight to behold. This is something I rarely see in modern paleoart.

Man, it would be cool if somebody could make an accurate dinosore move with an old school aesthetic.

The fact that DeviantART has a subgenre of dinosaur art called "Retrosaurs" speaks for itself. I'd also like to argue that these so-called Retrosaurs make for ideal fantasy creatures. Especially if you dip one toe into the fantastic with them. My favorite example of this is Gorosaurus from King Kong Escapes, an Allosaurid who primarily fights by balancing on his muscular tail and delivering kangaroo kicks.

I honestly really like both of them, the new ones are experimental, realistic and exceptional. But there’s just something about the old artwork and setting, it’s grim, it’s harsh, rocky, misty, primordial and the colours are muted, and the music by god the music, much like you said and better. Even the old inaccurate styles I find very appealing.

I think that eerie, atmospheric artwork of prehistoric life could still work, even when depicting completely up-to-date science about these animals and the ecosystems in which they lived. After all, there are so many strange, wondrous and mysterious things even in our modern world, along with breathtaking and arguably "otherworldly" landscapes (for example Mt. Roraima, the unique mountain flora of East Africa, the bizarre aquascapes of Lake Baikal, the fluffy moss-coated lava formations of southwest Iceland, the redwoods of California, or the deserts of the American southwest). Imagine, if you will, how hauntingly beautiful it would be to see a herd of (scientifically accurate) Diplodocus crossing a river as they carve a new migration path through a foggy Araucaria forest at the first light of dawn, appearing like majestic and imposing dark silhouettes cutting the rays of morning sunlight...

There is just something so charming about old school dinosaur art and stop motion. It shows us how far we have come in understanding these creatures. Also fun fact, Disney had paleo experts consult him and the animators on the film since he wanted to show the dinosaurs as realistically as possible. Sure it is super outdated and lots of stuff is wrong but you can't deny that those dinos feel like real breathing animals.

Back when I was a kid our TVs didn't have a lot of science shows to go around, so I pretty gobbled up all the archaeological contents there were. Dinosaurs and Egypt were my absolute favorite subjects to the point that I wanted to become an archaeologist (until I found out in the sixth grade that I was terrible with remembering dates). I still have images and a voice (I think it was quite possibly Sir Attenborough's) in my head about this one particular story about a brachiosaurus who was attacked by a T-Rex but survived, only to slowly succumbed to blood loss and infection. It died on the bank of a river, and as the water rose, the mud covered its body, eventually fossilizing the remains, and our scientists found it. The show ended with the saying "Her life may have ended millions of years ago, but her story continues to this day." Even as a kid I found it hauntingly beautiful. I don't know if I remember correctly, or it's just my mind trying to piece together memories of different things to make sense, but it's good to air out nonetheless.

I really admire your appreciation for the old depictions of Dinosaurs and the art of them. Sure, it is outdated, but just cause something is outdated doesn’t mean it needs to be shunned like a supervillain. You are one of the few Dino enthusiasts RU-vidrs who actually appreciates this from a nostalgia point of view and sees some merit to it, unlike most who shun these types of art and laugh at anyone who actually likes them. Don’t get me wrong, I do prefer modern depictions of dinosaurs (even the feathered therapods though mostly for the creative and varied interpretations), but the old art is something to also look back fondly, just like looking back on the old cars or old video games.

Nothing more mysterious than stop motion dinosaurs

Ahh, the old pictures of dinosaurs in misty forest and swamps. Those are the things that to this day give me that childlike excitement in my heart.

I relate deeply to this feeling and what you point out about the color tones in this kind of art is something that's been bugging me for a while because I haven't been able to put my finger on it. Old dinosaur art definitely has this hazy, slightly delirious feeling to it, and it really gives off a strong impression of the sweltering HEAT and hostility of the environment itself. You look at the pictures and you can imagine being stranded there on an alien Earth where the environment is as much a threat to you as the beasts inhabiting it are. The fact that the dinosaurs and even creatures like the Dimetrodon (a popular non-dinosaur subject of paleoart) are innacurrate adds to the alien, somewhat nightmarish quality of some of the art, being as it's harder to visually connect them to living lineages of creatures like avians when they are not reconstructed from a perspective that includes that knowledge. They seem like strange monsters from the unspoken before-time rather than the once living animals that they really were. You almost see them moving like stop-motion figures in your mind's eye. In this vein, I find some of Charles R. Knight's work to be genuinely unsettling.

Another fantastic video. While clearly outdated there's a reason "retrosaurs" have their own little following. Actually you might find it interesting that there's an oldish video game that purposely uses more outdated styles for their dinosaurs. "Carnivores" largely bases its creature designs off of Zdeněk Burian's artwork and it really stands out, especially since the game came out after Jurassic Park hit theatres and most people were ripping off that movie for their designs.

I can confirm that your fascination and allure of outdated dinos are not just nostalgia. I'm also fascinated by the old dino designs . I just think they're interesting and plain epok

A gloomy prehistoric world with a red sky, filled with angry lizards and weird plants...

I know so well what you mean. The old stuff was drawn by amazingly skilled artists and the images felt so warm.

I'll always have a nostalgic soft spot for the upright T-Rex. Probably also part of why I became a Godzilla fan so early on in my life.

I sing the praises of modern dinosaur art, but classic dino art is what got me into the concept of ancient life in the first place when I was a kid in the 90s. I like them both for different reasons.

The red and orange light always creeped me as a kid, you describe the feel of these images very well 👏👏👏

We have to remember that scientists worked with the artists at Disney to create the look of the dinosaurs in the Rite of Spring segment. They wanted to shy away from a cute cartoony look to something that was hyper realistic. The dinosaurs that appeared on screen had the stamp of approval by the scientific community of 1940. At the time, the designs were seen as accurate based on the fossil evidence of the era. This means the entire sequence is a time capsule of how these creatures were viewed by scientific researchers in the 30's and 40's.

IMO Mark Witton does a really good job of preserving this sort of style while also making his depictions more up to date. A lot of paleoart nowadays is done with a sort of metaphorical rejection of the idea that the image is a painting, they strive to be very realistic in both tone and visuals and it can lead to the art being kinda sterile and looking similar between artists (Henry Sharpe, Gabriel N. U. Julio Lacerda etc.). Mark Witton is on the opposite end of the spectrum all of his works have such bold color pallets and brush strokes he really seems to embrace the medium. Aside from making him stand out since all of his work is instantly recognizable his paintings feel like they have a lot more texture and mood to them, there's a real richness I get looking at the paintings. Don't get me wrong the works of Henry Sharpe, Gabriel etc. are all amazing and much better than anything I could ever do but if I had to choose paleoart to hang on my walls it would be Mark Witton. Idk maybe I'm crazy but this is just the way I feel and I just wanted to gush about his work lol.

There’s something I really adore about the old types of dinosaur art and depictions, there’s something so savagely beautiful about them, it’s far more strangely alien.

I totally agree. Whilst I do love modern accurate artwork. I have a soft spot for old-school dinosaur art. I especially love the art of Wayne Barlowe.

Am only one person that almost cry when hoops summarized the last dinosaur?

As someone that is no longer super interested in dinosaurs (at least not to the agree I loved them as a kid), I really love this video and how it really hits home not just to the allure of the art but also just of dinosaurs in general and how this older art really captured this nearly fantasy-esque wonder of dinosaurs and these nearly alien, creatures that lived before we ever did and yet eventually declined. It really does capture this weird sense of wonder and like genuinely I feel like a part of my brain got reactivated that I haven't used since I was a kid

basically: Old dinosaur artwork just has a nostalgic Vibe. even the dinosaur designs have a sense of nostalgia. gone are the upright tails and the general energy most dinosaurs have. in their place are slow lumbering animals with droopy, tired eyes and just a general air of sleepiness to them, evoking memories of watching old movies and reading old books. idk, That's probably just me. While I personally love the modern day dinosaur designs, far more then any old paleo art pieces, I can’t help but like these old pieces of art.

The best website to check out vintage dinosaur art is probably Love in the time of Chasmosaurs

If you know of any old dinosaur books/movies with this kind of style, I'd be happy to hear some recommendations!

I got to agree I'm remember seeing a picture of a Tyrannosaurus Rex in a book one time it was really breath taking not like the ones we see illustrated or in films theses days but like the old animated ones . It had all the more impact with the scenic back ground and the break weather. It was really well illustrated fir it's time . I think this was in the eighties sometime .

For all its flaws, I love old art like no other. Outdated, sure, but mythical and majestic. And adding to that was before the idea of a meteor was proposed, the dinosaurs “just disappeared”, is simply existentially haunting. Sure there were ideas of volcanism and mammals and diseases, but it added up to “What happened to the dinosaurs? Nobody knows.”, left an impression like nothing else on me as a kid. Childhood cosmic horror. Anyway, love this video, man.

There is a real charm to these old retro dinosaurs, I've been thinking a lot about it. Is there maybe a community out there that appreciates these retrosauria?

**The Land Before Time Original score Intensifies** Edit: 9:33 MAH BOIS ITS THE ELEPHANT SEAL SPINO

> Legless elephant-seal Spinosaurus > Up-to-date and realistic Jokes aside, these are some interesting thoughts... I personally prefer newer dinosaur artwork (speaking in a general way), but I find it interesting to analise old stuff from an artistic perspective, like Victorian illustrations or Soviet paleoart.

Very well done, I agree very much!

I’m at my grandparents house and I found some dinosaur books with art from the 50’s and 60’s and I felt so nostalgic I nearly died. My point is it’s crazy to imagine these animals as well...animals!

Though I’m no longer into dinosaurs, I’ve been reflecting lately that I miss the old artwork, so this was perfect to see

honestly, i like crazy violent dinosaurs, but not just because its cool as hell. It reminds me that before us, there was a different, more violent world, where fighting was key to survival. groups and families will bond and protect each other in this harsh world. It really appreciate the sheer power and what dinosaurs probaly may had gone through. Of course, dinosaurs mostly did non violent things, but when they got violent, which was more often than todays animals, things got really ugly

You captured my feelings on vintage dinosaurs exactly. I never had a word for it before but you got it: alien and mysterious. I didn't really grow up with these kinds of dinosaurs, being born a good while after Jurassic park became big, so I don't have the same nostalgic filter. Yet there was always something that drew me in about these portrayals. And I think it was the mysterious feeling they gave. These worlds, these times, swarmed in unknown to me and to the readers then. And even then, they also scared me. As you stated, dinosaurs were portrayed so alien like, so cold and different to our world, our civilizations and animals. Our communities, where we had safety and warmth and familiarity, there is none of that in these old-school dinosaur art. Looking at these grainy images, bizarre stop-motion animation and ugly yet charming toys of the time, it really is something else. Intrigued and amazed yet disturbed all the same by these terrible lizards.

It's a completely different type of fantastical dinosaur nostalgia but I think the atmosphere those original Dinotopia illustrated children's books generated fits in with all this somehow and always had a lot of resonance for me as a kid.

Thoose old pieces really have an alien or unworldly feel. Even the outdated tail dragging dinosaurs i think have an eerie feel to them since we today know that they looked way different. And with those old stop motion movies with the dragging and lumbering movements and the weird screeches. Also with the music as mentioned. I almost prefer these older dinos over the jp/jw version. I just find the older more unsettling.

I think the strength of the old dinosaur representations is the narrative sense that permeated everything. Artists took a mysterious and almost Biblical sensibility to their Prehistoric vision. While the more naturalistic style prevalent today has its strengths, i have to say i prefer the epic set pieces and dramatic aesthetic of past dinosaur art.

That "old, hand-painted dinosaur illustration books from the library of your elementary school" feeling.

The Last Dinosaur was one of my favourite books as a kid. So brutal. As much as I love the accuracy of modern dinosaur art, nothing will ever surpass the mythic quality of old school dinosaur art.

I know this is an older video, but I really appreciate what was talked about here. No one really takes much time to discuss vintage paleoart, unless its simply check boxing scientific inaccuracies. While modern paleoart is more scientifically accurate and treats dinosaurs as ordinary creatures, vintage paleoart tends to paint them more as fantastical beasts inhabiting an unforgiving world. That in itself enraptures the human imagination in the way it does, drawn by the mystery spoken of in this video, but there's also a horror aspect as well. Vintage paleoart depicts the Mesozoic landscape as antithetical to the comforts of the modern world, where danger lurks around every tree shrouded in that thick fog. Besides this, the work of artists like Mark Hallett, Douglas Henderson, John Sibbick, Eleanor Kish, and so many others deserves to be seen and respected. They worked with what was available at the time, and created some truly astounding art pieces I remember seeing in paleoart books of the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. Scientifically inaccurate though it might be, it'd be a crying shame for so much of that artwork to be forgotten or mocked.

this whole video: i just think they're neat

The great thing about the vintage work is that it created love and passion for the subject

I love the fact that I'm not the only one who has appreciation for these classic pieces of the olden days of paleoartistry. These are great reminders of how far we've come and must be preserved as history of what we've learned and discovered and how much our image of prehistoric animals has changed.

Being born in the 60's the books I had when I was a kid came out in that period and earlier. The depictions of dinosaurs were inaccurate but the images of them became iconic in my mind.

This is probably one of the best recommendations RU-vid has ever made for me

The film Excalibur (1981) opens to a similar effect, with knights riding out of the primordial darkness into a smoky, torch-lit hillside battle.

I do love new dinosaur illustrations, but old depictions of they and the prehistoric earth always makes me imagine of being there and see how things were. It is a strange feeling of fascination and wonder, maybe cause the inaccurate old depictions that makes them look like some kind of reptile/alien creatures hahaha.

I’m glad someone finally put this into words! Modern dinosaur art has always felt sterile to me, never evoking the same sense of wonder that the old stuff did. The old dinosaur art was romantic, and mysterious, fantastical, and epic in scope, being much more similar to fantasy illustrations than anything to do with science. (I also miss old fantasy art for the same reason actually, although there were several issues with that as well.) I appreciate the increased accuracy of modern Dino art, but I definitely still think there’s a place for the old stuff.

Thank,you.Finally, someone is talking about this.

Those have so much more atmosphere and style

It’s almost like the old Roman art with Uber-muscular hero’s and lions with weird alien faces

What's kind of funny is even today we have no clue what any of them actually looked like. Some fossils were litteraly just 2 bones.

I think something else about vintage dinosaur art is the scale (no pun intended). I think of Charles R. Knight's murals depicting vast landscapes, creating stages for the giant behemoths to perform on. There was also a flair for extreme conflict, like you state in the video - volcanic eruptions, life-and-death battles, etc - because those create a larger sense of tension, thus reinforcing the grandiosity of the depictions. I think that enormous feeling is what I love about old dinosaur art.

James Horner really was good at his score for the Land Before Time. Come to think of it, so was John Williams for Jurassic Park. I guess dinosaurs brought out some of the best from those legendary composers.

I suggest you to read "Love in the time of chasmosaurus", a blog that talks about paleo-art and it's quite respectful about vintage artwork and artists. Also, I noticed you put the music of Walking With Dinosaurs of the asteroid crash scene. Very fitting for "the last dinosaur", uh?

Interesting analysis, not many people touch on this subject in a good view. I actually adore vintage dinosaur art, like you said it has this alien like and mysterious vibe to it. Not to mention I like the reptilian design of the prehistoric creatures, whether it be featherless raptors, theropods and sauropods dragging their tails on the ground or even plesiosaurs with snake like necks, (yes I know they are not dinosaurs). Though, nowadays I feel as though if you simply enjoy this type of art, you will be instantly demonized by most dinosaurs enthusiasts and paleo-artists. I get that these creatures are inaccurate and we should realize that and not say that "these dinosaurs are better and more badass!". But, as long as we try not to pass these vintage dinos of as the real thing or try to make them seem better than their real life counterparts, on an artistic level people should be able to enjoy them. Anyway, if you are interested in more vintage art you should check out some of Adrian Chesterman's works. He made a couple of vintage dinosaur books and even created a couple of posters. There are also dinosaur Weird N Wild Cards as well as Dinosaur Attack! Cards. (Though dinosaur attack is rather gory with a story behind it).

Art doesn’t have to be scientifically accurate to be great. It’s art.

Even if it’s not scientifically accurate there’s still something about older dinosaur work that fascinated me. The mystery, the otherworldly stuff, and much more. Heck stuff like Universe of Energy or at least the dinosaur part fascinates me in terms of how they looked even if I know for example Tyrannosaurus never stood up like in say Valley of Guanji abd was more like the Jurassic park one and later depictions.

Yes! This is EXACTLY how I feel about old dinosaur artwork and you just put it into words! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who gets this visceral feeling from these images

Even though I didn't grow up during the time of vintage dinosaur artwork,I was very aware of it and found it very cool,even though I do prefer more modern paleoart.

I think it ovocs a interesting atmosphere it reminds me of an alian world often enough especially with the lighting encoding the environment from the forests to the swamps to the rocky deserts it all feels so provoking

I will never forget my first dinosaur book. The cover was ripped off and lost, before I was born. Some pages were also missing. But everyone who tried to talk me into giving this book away got a clear "no" from me. The mix of hyper detailed, hand drawn dinosaurs mixed with blury, stylized photos of the bones. The dusty quality of the dig site photos, enhanced by the yellowish paper ... I love it.

I have a lot of appreciation for the dinosaur works of old too, since many of them left a big impact on my childhood.

Man I will sing fantasia' s praise forever. So many images from that movie stuck with me through the years. The dinosaurs stuck in the tar pits, the way they all look to the sky utterly hopeless. Plus it introduced me to classical music! I feel like the dinosaur sequence and night on bald mountain really set something off in me artistically. I love it.

The atmosphere in your videos are amazing, your editing is great and I think everyone can appreciate these videos. The music, your wording and your use of pictures and clips really helps make this video a masterpiece I and many others will come back to and enjoy fondly. Thanks HoopsAndDinoman you made peoples childhood and you still affect many now.

That explains why Ark is so much fun to play. The dinos are colorful and the environment kind of feels like something on earth. But dosn't mean these guys are puppies as they are wild animals that will eat you if your not careful. (Unless tamed)

is it possible for you to do a list where you write the names of all the movies and books you refference in this video? I would love that! :)

I like modern scientifically accurate artwork but you cant beat that old style aesthetic

FINALLY SOMEONE MADE A VIDEO ON THIS!!!

Maybe that's the reason of why people says that science ""ruind"" dinosaurs. They want something never seen, not a bird... ironic

I've always liked the old art of dinosaur. I know they're totally inacurate. But they have a certain charm and dark tone to it that the new ones lack. I can't really explain it. But there's just something romantic about those old pic that has a romance to them that always appealed to me.

Charles R Knight is in my opinion the greatest paleo artist of all time if he was around today making accurate art it would be undisputed for best art

You reminded me of a quote by Walter Benjamin: “The grey film of dust covering things has become their best part.” There's a book I vividly remember having taken out from the library when I was a kid in the 80's, full of wonderful illustrations of flabby reptilian dinosaurs in green swamps against orange skies. I wish I could find it again, to add to my collection of retro dinosaur books. One of the challenges of palaeo-art is that it can so often be dismissed as merely scientific, even if it has a high quality of stylistic proficiency. When we look at older palaeo-art, it is easier to appreciate it as art. When I watch Fantasia (which is my favourite movie), I first appreciate Rite of Spring as magnificent animation.

I like the new art because it has more creative designs And I like the old art because it is nostolgic to me

I'm so glad someone else thinks this. I love having grown up with both old, reptile dinosaurs and newer scraggly, feathered dinosaurs. It makes today's dinosaurs which often are portrayed like regular animals much more enjoyable.

How many sets of tracks did we have to find before someone said “... hey guys... why aren’t there giant tail scrapes distorting all the pathways...?” 🤣

I have loved dinosaurs since seeing King Kong when I was 7, I have been so lucky to witness 53 years of changes and updates to what we know. Great job, you brought some great memories out for me, times I got to enjoy with my Dad who sadly left this earthly plain in 2020.

The title for this video is arguably the greatest thing I have ever read.

James Gurney has such wonderful depictions of vintage dinos. He draws from his childhood love & fascination with dinos & I think for many of us vintage dinos take us back to that. And I think we can allow our inner children to get all giddy at vintage dinos and then rediscover our fascination with science through modern dinos.

Consider the following. Nostalgia is more than a memory of simplicity. When we were younger, our minds were more open, allowing us to think about things more deeply. These first memories of curiosity are the building blocks of our determination. When we have something that reminds us of that clarity, we treasure it.

I feel the same way my man whenever I come across one of those older books. I was born in 1980 and I grew up mesmerized by them.

Man, I don't what to say, your video just made me really happy

I really appreciate your nuanced take on this, and I feel the exact same way. Both old and new can have value!

A lot of those vintage artworks were scientifically accurate at the time and some of the works today look more fantasy than science. Art can be weird like that.

nice video! one small issue: accuracy hasn't just "skyrocketed", we just found new evidence to suggest this kind of stuff, & the past stuff was accurate at it's time. there's a likely chance that the latest reconstructions will become outdated in a few years, & future reconstructions will become outdated in a few years as well.

You have literally made a video perfectly articulating what I could not for YEARS to an aspiring paleontologist friend of mine! This is masterful! And it's so good to know old illustrations and depictions of these magnificent creatures are so beloved and appreciated by another, very well knowing they are what they are.

I used to love the Little Golden Book of Dinosaurs

My first exposure to dinosaur art was that of Charles Knight -- the famous Tyrannosaurus confronting a Triceratops. I also remember another Knight painting -- that of a small leaping theropod attacking another small theropod lying on its back, claws extended and ready to repel the attack. Thanks.

Off topic but... OH MY GOSH I REMEMBER THIS CHANNEL. You provided many fun videos to watch for the then 10 year old me. I’m glad you never stopped making videos. You got yourself a subscriber. Peace.

Following this thread, you should do a video on the appeal of dinosaur/prehistoric themed levels in video games. Hell, you could even include games that are entirely of a dinosaur/prehistoric aesthetic. I really enjoy these videos of yours! Keep up the good work!

Thank you so much for this video. When I was a kid I really loved watching and reading everything about dinosaurs. The artistic style you present in this video brings loads of memories.