Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins

Science and Art interact for an informative and entertaining read. The book explains the science used in the identification of the physical markers left by muscles on the skulls and the proportions of the limbs and body,, the same techniques that make his forensic reconstructions likely as accurate as forensic reconstructions used by police in an effort to identify unknown victims of crime. Part science, part art, I found the process fascinating There are elements that he is able to approach with some certainty, and other elements that are educated guesses, all of whcih are woven into a gesalt to give an appeali. Wow! Just Wow! A history of human development and evolution by an incredible artist who reconstructs the faces and bodies of ancient Man from their skeletons. When the faces look out at you from the pages, you swear that the faces are alive! If you're interested in the evolution of humans, this is a wonderful book. If you're interested in an unusually intimate view of early Man, artfully reconstructed by a gifted artist, this book is definitely worth the price. I haven't put it down since I recieved it several days ago! Amazing!. "Bringing ancestral humans to life" according to Gary Raham. This review will be a little premature as I have not completed reading it. I have looked at all the amazing artwork and have been impressed so far with the way Gurche explains his passion for the field and how he goes about integrating scientific discovery with artistic interpretation. I've always admired Gurche's artwork and followed his career while he was at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I was sorry to hear in his narrative that the reconstruction he did of "Lucy" for DMNS "melted" because of his choice of sculpting material. I look

"John Gurche brilliantly brings the long human past alive with his powerful reconstructions of our extinct precursors, and skillfully explains just where the boundaries lie between art and science in his demanding profession."—Ian Tattersall, author of Masters of the Planet: The Search for Our Human Origins

In Shaping Humanity he relates how he worked with a team of scientists to depict human evolution in sculpture for the new hall. For the Smithsonian Institution’s groundbreaking David H. What did earlier humans really look like? What was life like for them, millions of years ago? How do we know? In this book, internationally renowned paleoartist John Gurche describes the extraordinary process by which he creates forensically accurate and hauntingly realistic representations of our ancient human ancestors. Inspired by a lifelong fascination with all things prehistoric, and gifted with a unique artistic vision, Gurche has studied fossil remains, comparative ape and human anatomy, and forensic reconstruction for over three decades. He reveals the debates and brainstorming that surround these often controversial depictions, and along the way he enriches our awareness of the various paths of human evolution and humanity’s stunning uniqueness in the history of life on Earth.. His artworks appear in world-class museums and publications ranging from National Geographic to the journal Science, and he is widely known for his contributions to Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park and a number of acclaimed television specials. Koch Hall of Human Origins, opened in 2010, Gurche created fifteen sculptures representing six million years of human history