Luis Rey
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
Luis V. Rey (b.1955) is a Spanish-Mexican artist and illustrator, a 1977 graduate of the San Carlos Academy, (UNAM). He is best known for his innovative work in the field of dinosaur visualization, for example in conjunction with Robert Bakker, promoting awareness of the developing evidence for feathered dinosaurs. He is an active member of the SVP (Society of Vertebrate Paleontology[1] (http://www.vertpaleo.org/)) and of the Dinosaur Society (UK)[2] (http://www.dinosaursociety.com). He also works in portraiture and makes political pieces, in paint and other media. He lives with his partner Carmen in London, UK.
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Dinosaur visualization
Rey has worked on several museum installations and exhibits, and as consultant for dinosaur modelling in other media such as the BBC television documentary Walking with Dinosaurs[3] (http://dsc.discovery.com/stories/dinos/bbc/sci_focus/). He has worked as a pioneer of the feathered dinosaurs debate, with George Olshevsy in Omni Magazine (1994), with sculptor Charlie McGrady in the construction of a feathered velociraptor (1997)[4] (http://www.indyrad.iupui.edu/public/jrafert/Rey/reyvelo.htm), and many others.
Rey's original 'paleoart' is prized by specialist collectors such as John J. Lanzendorf [5] (http://www.wishtv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1156585&nav=0Ra7EIDl).
Book illustration
Rey's dinosaur illustration is found in approximately 40 illustrated dinosaur books for a variety of readerships, from bestselling encyclopedias by Dorling Kindersley to "Dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight (Martill and Naish 2001, Paleontological Association) ISBN 0-901-702-72-2.
Rey's commissioned illustration is also used on the covers of approximately 60 science fiction, fantasy and horror books, notably several editions of the works of Russian sci-fi author Stanislaw Lem. For a complete list of published cover art, see the Locus Magazine link below.
Other art
Mexican culture is a strong influence in Rey's private and political art, in terms of vivid color palette, and the use of resonant symbolic objects to communicate specific meanings relevant to the subject. A strand of surrealism - for example, clouds on a blue sky recalling the work of Magritte - may be found interwoven with elements owing more to symbolism or magic realism.
A direct, passionate anger - and occasional scatalogical humor - is evident in his political art. For example, December 2004's Turd of the Year, is a canvas depicting a Time Magazine Person of the Year cover mock-up with George W. Bush's head and neck rendered as a stool, attracting a cloud of flies, with the title painted below. The more politically ambiguous Weapon of Mass Destruction, (2003), is a small, open-fronted pine box painted on its five internal sides with a skyscape of clouds, the cloud design washing across and camouflaging a box-cutter knife attached vertically to the rear surface of the box.
External Links
- Luis V. Rey web gallery - Dinosaurs & Paleontology (http://www.luisrey.ndtilda.co.uk/)
- Index of Rey cover art compiled at Locus Magazine (http://www.locusmag.com/index/c61.html)
- Dinosaur Delineator file on Rey (http://www.dinosaur.org/dinodel/dinodelrey01.htm)
