UÉ student wins National Geographic award in the best scientific illustration category
Victor Carvalho, student of the Master in Paleontology at the University of Évora and NOVA School of Science and Technology | FCT NOVA, brought to Portugal, for the first time, the Lanzendorf - National Geographic Award, with the illustration of a carnivorous dinosaur from the Lourinhã Museum.
A obra vencedora, intitulada "Baryonyx revisited", faz referência à morfologia e à anatomia da espécie Baryonyx walkeri, conhecida pela ciência desde o final da década de 80, e foi o resultado de um ano de trabalho conjunto entre o paleoartista luso-brasileiro Victor Carvalho, e os investigadores da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Octávio Mateus e Darío Estraviz.
The artist and paleontology student, who also has a Master's degree in Drawing from the Fine Arts Institute of Lisbon University, has been working with the reconstitution of extinct animals for over a decade, during which time he has collaborated with researchers from the Natural History Museum of Rio de Janeiro and the Lourinhã Museum.
Victor Carvalho says that this taste for paleoart began when he was about 7 years old and received an illustrated encyclopedia with more than 50 fascicles on prehistoric animals, with works by dozens of artists. "From that time on, I could never stop drawing dinosaurs and other extinct animals. As the years went by, not only my technique improved, but also the scientific knowledge and rigor, essential for any scientific illustration, were introduced to the works. What fascinated me about paleoart is that with each project I always learn something new, either about the organism being reconstructed or about the process itself" says the paleoartist.
"For me, this recognition and being part of this select list of illustrators, of which many I have admired the work for years, brings me great joy. It's a feeling of accomplishment" confesses Victor, who will receive this distinction in 2022, during the congress of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology that will take place in Toronto.
This award is a partnership between the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and National Geographic, and is globally considered the most prestigious distinction in the area of paleoart, the artistic aspect of scientific drawing that seeks to produce credible interpretations of prehistoric life and its organisms.
The Lanzendorf-National Geographic PaleoArt Award has been running since 2000 and was created by John J. Lanzendorf to recognize the best work in paleontological scientific illustration and naturalistic art.
