Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China

Expansive works of paleoart in natural history museums have the power to set the atmosphere in a gallery space. In this sense, the artwork can be described as atmospheric. Atmospheric paleoart is usually thematically associated with the surrounding objects on display, where it can enhance the exhib...

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Main Authors: Qi Wang, Yuan Wang, Adam S. Smith
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: OICC Press 2024-12-01
Series:Geoconservation Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://oiccpress.com/gcr/article/view/8295
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author Qi Wang
Yuan Wang
Adam S. Smith
author_facet Qi Wang
Yuan Wang
Adam S. Smith
author_sort Qi Wang
collection DOAJ
description Expansive works of paleoart in natural history museums have the power to set the atmosphere in a gallery space. In this sense, the artwork can be described as atmospheric. Atmospheric paleoart is usually thematically associated with the surrounding objects on display, where it can enhance the exhibition narrative and become an independent display object itself. Atmospheric paleoart also plays a significant role in the public understanding of paleontology. The Paleozoological Museum of China in Beijing contains three large murals as part of its key exhibition narrative. These expansive paintings were installed for the public opening of the museum in 1994, but they are poorly documented. Each mural showcases one of the three ‘ages of life’– the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic – as represented predominantly by prehistoric biotas from China. This paper provides a record of these important murals, focusing on their scientific and social value, while exploring perspectives on the development of paleoart in China.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2645-4661
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language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher OICC Press
record_format Article
series Geoconservation Research
spelling doaj-art-e33cbe4eb52345219378978b9e7ad0b72024-12-14T11:15:10ZengOICC PressGeoconservation Research2645-46612588-73432024-12-0110.57647/gcr-2024-si-zf40Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of ChinaQi Wang0Yuan Wang1Adam S. Smith2Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UKInstitute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 142 Xizhimen Wai Street, Beijing, 100044, ChinaNottingham Natural History Museum, Wollaton Hall, Nottingham, NG8 2AE, UK Expansive works of paleoart in natural history museums have the power to set the atmosphere in a gallery space. In this sense, the artwork can be described as atmospheric. Atmospheric paleoart is usually thematically associated with the surrounding objects on display, where it can enhance the exhibition narrative and become an independent display object itself. Atmospheric paleoart also plays a significant role in the public understanding of paleontology. The Paleozoological Museum of China in Beijing contains three large murals as part of its key exhibition narrative. These expansive paintings were installed for the public opening of the museum in 1994, but they are poorly documented. Each mural showcases one of the three ‘ages of life’– the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic – as represented predominantly by prehistoric biotas from China. This paper provides a record of these important murals, focusing on their scientific and social value, while exploring perspectives on the development of paleoart in China. https://oiccpress.com/gcr/article/view/8295PaleoartMuralAtmosphericMuseumNatural HistoryChina
spellingShingle Qi Wang
Yuan Wang
Adam S. Smith
Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China
Geoconservation Research
Paleoart
Mural
Atmospheric
Museum
Natural History
China
title Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China
title_full Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China
title_fullStr Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China
title_full_unstemmed Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China
title_short Atmospheric Paleoart: A Case Study of the Murals in the Paleozoological Museum of China
title_sort atmospheric paleoart a case study of the murals in the paleozoological museum of china
topic Paleoart
Mural
Atmospheric
Museum
Natural History
China
url https://oiccpress.com/gcr/article/view/8295
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