Gurche's Barosaurus

The entry hall to the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, is centered around a Barosaurus rearing up and facing an Allosaurus. The scene has been captured in a John Gurche painting that accompanies the entryway skeleton mount. Dinosaur art aficionados may remember John Gurche's work from such places and works as the Field Museum (the Sue mural), magazines and books (Boy's Life and The Dinosaur Heresies cover feature the same artwork). The painting in the entryway to the AMNH is equally iconic and, like many of Gurche's paintings, has a certain style to it that is unmistakable. Whether what brings it to life is the crisp detail of the skin, sky, or supporting elements of the background differs between viewers, but the beauty of Gurche's dinosaur paintings (and his sculptures) is hard to argue against despite their now "archaic" appearance. Unfortunately this piece has made its way around the internet since 1991 and I could pull it down from almost literally anywhere online and paste it onto this page. Out of respect for John Gurche I would rather post a link to the image on his page and a second link, for the painting on Pinterest as a secondary link to see a larger version of the painting. Facebook readers will see the painting as the icon for the link.