My Favorite Artist

So, I'm supposed to be at a pool party right now, but I have to finish burning discs for my mom, so I have to wait until that's done to bicycle on off. In the meantime, I'd figure I'd share a personal facet of mine: my favorite artist. I mean, I'm no connoisseur of art, I didn't even take Art history a couple of years ago. But nonetheless, I do find myself drawn to one particular artist, not so much for meaning as simple aesthetic pleasure and appreciation. That artist is Charles R. Knight, and, as one might guess, he had a little something to do with paleontology as well as art. Born in Brooklyn in 1874, Knight seemed to have a childhood similar to mine, at least in the respect that he was deeply interested in nature and animals. The similarity ends there however, seeing as Knight turned this interest into paintings, despite being legally blind with astigmatism. The result of Knight's subsequent career under the employ of the American Natural History Museum was a series of some of the most amazing restorations of the natural world (both prehistoric and modern) that I've ever seen. Dinosaurs, Ice Age creatures, and modern animals all seem to come to life in Knight's paintings, and in my humble opinion, he's one of the more under appreciated artists of the 20th century. And his art touches upon one of the less appreciated parts of science as well: aesthetics. It is my opinion that much of the joy of science, especially Zoology, comes from the acquisition of understanding about a particular aspect pf the natural world. But something that may not become immediately clear is the aesthetic interpretation of that knowledge. It's one thing to know how an animal lived, but it only really becomes meaningful if you can look at a fossil and see it as part of a whole, and see it moving and living and blending into the ebb and flow of evolution. I think that's why I like Knight so much: his art really shows just how meaningful and beautiful the natural world is under the lens of science. Anyway, that's my word vomiting on that, I hope you liked it.If you want to see more of Knight's art, I suggest this link. After all, art's just sort of dry without some dinosaurs in it, right?