Lost Anatomies:
The Evolution of the Human Form
by John Gurche, published by Abrams Books on March 12, 2019.
The human form has been the subject of intense exploration by artists for centuries. Now, human origins science has extended the field for such exploration by revealing the human form’s precursors. This twenty-seven year labor of love follows the evolving human form through twenty million years of its evolution. Aesthetic goals dominate here, but science is the window through which we view this part of the natural world. The research behind this work has involved the study of original hominin fossils in Africa, Asia and Europe. Equally important to the art in this book has been thirty years of great ape dissection: of bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and of course, humans. If you experience even a fraction of the joy I’ve had in making this art, I am happy.
Australopithecus afarensis, adult male, Ethiopia
Hands of Homo sapiens and Pan paniscus
Homo erectus, adult male, Java
“Lucy,” Australopithecus afarensis, adult female, Ethiopia
Homo sapiens, adult female, Predmosti, Czechoslovakia
Homo neanderthalensis, adult male, Shanidar, Iraq
Australopithecus sediba, adult female, South Africa
Australopithecus afarensis, adult male, Ethiopia
Homo naledi, adult male, South Africa
Pan paniscus, adult male
Homo erectus, juvenile male, Kenya
Pan paniscus, adult male
Australopithecus afarensis, adult male with termite, Ethiopia
Pan paniscus, pregnant female
Australopithecus afarensis, Ethiopia
Homo neanderthalensis, adult male, Israel
Homo sapiens, bones and cartilage of the vocal tract and neck
Homo sapiens, adult female
Homo heidelbergensis, adult male, Zambia
Homo erectus, South Africa