Bringing the Past to Life: The Kennis Brothers, Paleo-Artists

Figure 1: The Kennis brothers working in their studio (Source: Alamy Stock Photos)

 

If you ever wandered through a museum or opened a textbook on ancient life then you may have viewed any number of sculptures or illustrations of ancient creatures.  These creatures are often very far removed from their modern descendants, leading many to question how and why the artists decided upon the stylistic choices they made.  These criticisms have led some artists to draw upon scientific research to inform their creativity, which is very much the case for Adrie and Alfons Kennis, two highly sought-after paleo-artists (Figure 1).

 

If you ask Adrie and Alfons Kennis, identical twins from the Netherlands, what led them to their careers in paleo-artistry they will quickly admit that they were not good at traditional schoolwork, such as math or reading.  They loved art and spent much of their time drawing.  They drew inspiration from illustrator Zdenek Burian, who drew and painted various hominids, particularly Neanderthals.  They were fascinated by the scenes in Burian’s work, and during family vacations they would visit the various sites that Neanderthals had previously occupied.  Over time, they, too, became critical of the depictions of hominid ancestors, asking questions pertaining to the realism of the scenes.  Dissatisfied with what they were seeing they opted to enter the field and try their hand at reconstructing human ancestors.

 

They began by studying anatomy, art, biology, evolutionary theory, forensic facial reconstructions, and more.  They constructed a studio in their hometown of Arnhem, Netherlands, which the filled with casts of various human, nonhuman primate, and hominids skeletal elements (cranial and post-cranial remains).  They began creating their sculptures within short order.  First, they build a model of the individual’s skeleton.  They take great care in studying the features of every bone to understand the location, size, and depth of muscles and soft tissues that are then reconstructed onto the model skeleton.  This is where the forensic methods come in, but they also rely on their understanding of human and nonhuman primate anatomy and morphology to inform their modeling of the individual’s body. 

 

Additionally, they draw upon ethnographic anthropological methods.  By studying contemporary foraging groups they gain insights into how the physical environment affects the body.  Prolonged sun exposure will darken the skin over time, while repetitious physical activity will mold and shape the bones and body for functional precision.  Ethnographic photographs of foragers during colonization also provide insights into cultural elements that could be present on hominids bodies.  For example, many artists will depict clothed hominids, but the reality is that there is no evidence to support this stylistic choice.  Modern foragers are often naked, for both practical and cultural reasons (e.g., they do not feel shame in being nude), leading the Kennis brothers to leave their hominid models naked.

 

The brothers will draw upon the material cultural evidence found with specific hominid remains to decide if and what cultural elements should be present on the body.  For example, Neanderthals have been recovered buried with all manner of artifacts.  They wore jewelry and used pigments on the deceased, which are replicated in various sculptures of Neanderthals the Kennis brothers have created.

 

With the publication of ancient DNA results the Kennis brothers have a new avenue of information to draw upon.  These pieces of evidence have led them to make informed choices concerning skin, hair, and eye color for their sculptures.  This had led to some controversies, such as was the case with their reconstruction of Cheddar Man.  Cheddar Man was one of the first Homo sapiens in the United Kingdom, and ancient DNA analyses provided insights into his skin and eye color.  From this information the Kennis brothers created a sculpture of a dark-skinned man with blue eyes, leading to public shock and some outcry.  This was tempered by release of the ancient DNA results.

 

The Kennis brothers have created at least a dozen hominid sculptures and illustrations.  Their work is on display in various museums across Europe, as well as present in various publications (e.g., textbooks and magazines).  Their work is quite expensive, but it is worth every penny.  They do not let anything leave their studio without approval by the both of them, and they hold themselves to incredibly high standards.  This has paid off since the scientific community and the public love their work, which is in large part due to the humanity they bring to the creations.

 

References

Buchan, K. (2018, May 5). Meet the ancestors… the two brothers creating lifelike figures of early man. The Guardian.

California-TV, U. o. (Director). (2018). CARTA: Imagination and Human Origins: Adrie & Alfons Kennis - Using Imagination to Create Reconstructions of Ancient Hominins [Motion Picture].

Hendry, L. (2018). Bringing a Neanderthal to life: the making of our model. Retrieved from Natural History Museum: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/bringing-a-neanderthal-to-life-the-making-of-our-model.html

Kennis, A., & Kennis, A. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from Kennis and Kennis: https://www.kenniskennis.com/about/