Modern Mammoths #ArtInIsolation
Group Members: Eli Bursztyn, Aaron Lew, Gavi Zahler
We present to you a modern rendition of “Woolly Mammoths,” a 1998 painting by Spanish paleoartist Mauricio Antón. Paleoart is the artistic depiction of prehistoric life as a model of the scientific evidence gathered regarding the now-extinct species. “Woolly Mammoths” depicts a group of the titular animal alongside lions and several deer along a Pleistocene steppe.
Our rendition, “Modern Mammoths,” is a true product of quarantine. As a group, we gathered a variety of Pleistocene animals in the forms of pottery and plush toys. We photographed each of these objects in the positions of those animals depicted in the painting, with a white towel representing the sky and a red tablecloth representing the ground. One of us, Gavi, of course made a special cameo, using an elephant party hat to portray himself as a mammoth. We then superimposed each of the recreated animals onto their counterparts in the original painting using a photo editing software, along with the towel and tablecloth. The final product effectively mimicked the original as a modern reinterpretation. Even from a distance, we were able to collaboratively revive the extinct.
This project serves as proof that isolation does not have to limit exploration or creation, individual or collaborative. With the right items and tools, one can research and build to fulfill their intellectual curiosities or artistic aspirations. They may even find that a prehistoric ecosystem exists right at home!
