The Awesome Dino Art of Charles R. Knight

Brontosaurus 1897
By Charles R Knight [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The dinosaur art of one the great pioneers of Paleoartist Charles R. Knight has awed me and influenced my dinosaur art since I was a young child. The iconic painting of the Brontosaurus above is one of the first examples of dinosaur art that stirred my youthful imagination and transported me back in time into the world of the terrible lizards . Like most of images that Charles R. Knight had produced during his prolific career, this classic image has been etched into the archives of my mind for over four decades now!

Charles R. Knights was a New York Artist who became famous for his spectacular paintings of dinosaurs and prehistoric mammals that can be seen or found in many publications and in several museums across the country. Charles attended the Metropolitan Art School at a very young age on route to becoming a very successful commercial artist. Knight's fascination with all things wildlife and nature often brought him to the American Museum of History. This activity eventually caught the eye of Dr. Jacob Wortman. Knight would land his big break when the Museum commissioned him to create some watercolors for the Museum's fossil halls. The series was a great success which would lay the foundation for a very long lasting relationship with the American Museum of History.

Dimetrodon 1897 American Museum of Natural History
By Charles R. Knight. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Smilodon 1905 American Museum of Natural History
By Charles R. Knight [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Soon, Knight's work caught the attention of other prominent museums like Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Chicagos' Field Museum of Natural History, The Smithsonian, The Carnegie Museums and several Zoos such as The Bronx Zoo, etc. Knight also contributed to National geographic, did freelance illustration for several books and magazines as well as lecturing on the topic of prehistoric life across the states.

Thank you Charles R. Knight for your dedicated contribution to this most interesting artform, currently known as Paleoart! 

Knight working on Stegasaurus in 1899
See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons