Shaping Humanity: How Science, Art, and Imagination Help Us Understand Our Origins

One serendipitous result of me reviewing the book “Seven Skeletons,” which is about why some hominin specimens become cultural icons, was to become aware of the book “Shaping Humanity” by John Gurche, which was published in 2013. I used to think of John Gurche as one of the old-school paleoartists that specialize in painting dinosaurs, since most of the work I was familiar with is from before 1990. That is way too limiting. Gurche nowadays specializes in early humans, and he is also an amazing sculptor. “Shaping Humanity” describes how he constructed eight life-size sculptures based on specific hominin specimens. Most of these are in the Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins: Sahelanthropus tchadenis, Australopithecus afarensis (“Lucy”), Australopithecus africanus (STS 5), Paranthropus boisei (OH 5), Homo erectus (“The Nariokoto Boy”), Homo neanderthalensis (La Ferrassie II), Homo floresiensis (“Flo”). Some of these sculptures are in silicone and are meant to give the illusion of a living creature, and some are cast in bronze. Any attempt to construct a life restoration of any extinct animal is a combination of interpreting the (usually fragmentary) fossils that are available and educated guess work based on related living animals. Fortunately, we understand the anatomy of living humans and apes fairly well, and it can be assumed the hominins will be an interpolation between the two. Some features can be extrapolation from the skeleton: barrel-chest (human) or funnel-chest (ape), projecting nose (human) or not (ape), etc. There are a number of fiddly details that need to be decided when the fossils can give no information: are the “whites” of the eyes pigmented (ape) or non-pigmented (humans). What size should the ears be? Since we are very familiar with living humans and apes, as opposed to, say, dinosaurs, these types of details matter and it is easy to generate something that looks wrong. The great strength of “Shaping Humanity” is that, in relating how these decisions are made, Gurche thoroughly reviews for the reader what is known about certain specimens, what has to be guessed at, and what is a purely artistic choice. Gurche approaches these sculptures in a very systematic way that takes many months to complete. Bones are reconstructed from cast fossils. After a pose is worked out, the reconstructed bones are arranged on a metal armature. Clay muscles are added to the bones, and finally clay skin with folds and wrinkles (and sometimes impressions of hair for bronze sculptures) is laid on top. A mold is made of the clay sculpture. A silicone cast can be made at this point for a lifelike sculpture. Glass eyes are added and hair is punched into the silicon. Bronze sculptures require a second step, a cast is made in wax, and another heavier mold is made from the wax cast. Bronze is poured into the heavy mold, burning off the wax. In the previous paragraph, I glossed over the pose. Apparently as much thinking goes into picking an evocative pose as any of the anatomical details. The idea is to distill in the pose something characteristic about the hominin in question but make the pose look entirely natural: Lucy stepping down from a branch (a transition from climbing to walking), a Homo erectus woman carrying an antelope carcass (this species travels a log), a Neanderthal woman scraping a skin (showing the use of teeth as tools), etc. No one can deny that the poses chosen are brilliantly chosen and executed. Finally, all the sculptures, silicone or bronze, appear extremely realistic. Your mind says: Yes, that’s exactly what that animal should be, and it is an individual “person”. The silicon restorations are amazing lifelike, even a little disturbing. Gurche puts it this way: “If people react to your sculptures by feeling a little creeped out because they sense a living presence there, you know you’ve done well.” “Shaping Humanity” is a coffee table book in the best sense; it is full of extremely well done illustrations: photographs of original fossil specimens, sketches, photos of sculptures in various stages of completion. Get rid of all the text, and it still would be worth looking at. Since this title is a few years old, one can get it at bargain prices on Amazon as a used book. Well worth it.

In 2014 I met the author and had the pleasure of traveling with him for a couple of hours. Our conversation was as pleasurable, varied, and enlightening as one might expect after reading this fantastic book. Gurche's contemplative, relatable narrative leads the reader through humanity's ancestry with appropriate amounts of anthropological history, artistic technicality, and the empathy that is immortalized in his sculptures. As a biologist with a strong training in anthropology, I was engrossed with the detailed technical descriptions Gurche provides. However, lay audiences need not fear. Skimming over the technical details does not subtract from the overall lessons provided by the wraparound narrative. Gurche succeeds in his aspiration to reach levels of clear popular scientific communication in the mold of Sagan, and Tyson

This review will be a little premature as I have not completed reading it. I have looked at all the amazing artwork and have been impressed so far with the way Gurche explains his passion for the field and how he goes about integrating scientific discovery with artistic interpretation. I've always admired Gurche's artwork and followed his career while he was at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. I was sorry to hear in his narrative that the reconstruction he did of "Lucy" for DMNS "melted" because of his choice of sculpting material. I look forward to someday seeing the Smithsonian exhibit on human evolution. I may add something to this narrative when I complete the book.

Not only is this book gorgeously put together, it's a genuinely fascinating read. More than just a summary of paleoartistry, it brilliantly lays bare how existing fossil evidence is used to gain insight into human evolution. Well done, Mr. Gurche!

A history of human development and evolution by an incredible artist who reconstructs the faces and bodies of ancient Man from their skeletons. When the faces look out at you from the pages, you swear that the faces are alive! If you're interested in the evolution of humans, this is a wonderful book. If you're interested in an unusually intimate view of early Man, artfully reconstructed by a gifted artist, this book is definitely worth the price. I haven't put it down since I recieved it several days ago! Amazing!

The book explains the science used in the identification of the physical markers left by muscles on the skulls and the proportions of the limbs and body,, the same techniques that make his forensic reconstructions likely as accurate as forensic reconstructions used by police in an effort to identify unknown victims of crime. Part science, part art, I found the process fascinating There are elements that he is able to approach with some certainty, and other elements that are educated guesses, all of whcih are woven into a gesalt to give an appealing glimpse of these past species that may or may not be on the path to humanity. His study of the "Hobbit" was equally appealing I also found interesting his discussion of the "splitters and lumpers" and some about the personalities of those paleoanthropologists who spend their lives searching out the sparse clues of our potential past, and how they have found new tools to make more accurate their own assessments mostly without abandoning their theoretical positions. . Scentists are deriving older and older DNA from older and older bones, and as their technique improves, the story may change, so it is actually and dynamic process. Will his reconstructions stand up to new information? That remains to be seen in perhaps another 20 or so years, though recent work in paleo-DNA is showing that the human family tree may be more "bushy" than "twiggy" and the splitters may win out.

John Gurche has given us a fabulous history of our evolution and the speculation about who we are now, and who we might have been over time as we changed. His genius for bringing science and art together in intricate detail helps us understand the debate among paleoanthropologists that continues to this day. His book is not a quick read, but it's well worth the time for anyone interested in who we are. Gene Wilson

Great book and fast shipping Thank you.

An excellent account written by an author who has studied the subject all his life as a sculptor, artist and scholar.

love it

Product as described and fast delivery, thank you!

Satisfied. Good product.

Fantastic read though very informative beyond my interests if that's something to go by.