Looking Backwards: the Illustrations of Edmund Dulac

Edmund Dulac stands as one of the greatest illustrators of all time. Born in France in 1882 and later emigrating to London, Dulac would rise to prominence during the golden age of English illustration. Though the period was filled with iconic artists, no other illustrator would work so prolifically to broaden the visual scope of the fantasy genre. Dulac illustrated everything: Shakespeare, Rubaiyat, Hans Christian Andersen, Edgar Allan Poe, The Arabian Nights, and countless other fantasy-inspired illustrations for stamps and relief books. No other artist would so profoundly illuminate turn-of-the-century European literature.

Like other Golden Age illustrator's Dulac's work chiefly appeared in special deluxe edition printings that were immensely popular from 1890 until the beginning of the First World War. These vibrantly illustrated pressings were generally marketed as gifts that made their way into upper middle class libraries in England, France and the United States. Though fantasy had been a rapidly expanding genre throughout the 1800s, these illustrated books allowed readers to see worlds that were sometimes difficult to envision based on text alone. While a solid century's worth of film, television, comics and other visual media have provided us with a wealth of easily identifiable fantasy tropes, it's easy to forget how hard it might be for someone to envision a secondary world full of imaginary places, creatures, and technologies. Artists like Dulac not only helped enliven the texts they illustrated, but they also helped establish what we might consider the visual "palette" of modern fantasy.   

 

Concept Art Spotlight: Marc Simonetti

Marc Simonetti is one of the better known SFF illustrators creating today. A prolific artist who has done work for fantasy stalwarts like George R.R. Martin and Terry Pratchett, Simonetti might be considered something of a transitional figure in the realm of SFF illustration. Though elements of his style harken back to gentler fantasy illustrators like Darrell K. Sweet and the Brothers Hildebrandt, Simonetti primarily works digitally, employing software to paint his compositions. The result is an excellent blend of old school color and CG scale. His Song of Ice and Fire illustrations, for example, definitely reveal the influence of classic 1970s book covers, yet he broadens the scope of those classic tropes by fixing his characters in larger fantasyscapes associated with contemporary concept art. Though his Iron Throne is certainly his most famous illustration, Simonetti is the "brush" responsible for a lot popular fantasy images that pop up on sites like Pinterest, Tumblr, and Facebook (though he is not always credited). Here are some of his most inspiring pieces.  

You can find more of Marc Simonetti's profile here

Concept Art Spotlight: Jakup Rozalski

In general, fantasy concept art tends to favor a kind of quasi-realism, an ultra-polished digital gleam that lends itself to video games and CG powered film. At its very best, this quest for hyper detail can produce some stunning artwork (see last week's Concept Art Spotlight devoted to portrait artist Eve Ventrue). Yet at it's very worst, digital concept art often looks like, well, digital concept art. That is to say, less like art and more like a collection of shiny character models and oversaturated matte landscapes.

That's why it's so refreshing to encounter an artist like Jakub Rozalski whose pieces lean more toward impressionism than realism. While Rozalski is often a contributing artist supplying work for larger projects, much of his stuff feels more like quality illustration than toss away concept art. Each piece seems to tell its own story, and you'd be hard pressed to find an artist whose work conveys more narrative power. Though he works digitally, his painterly style adds a certain cloudy ambience to each piece that suggests a greater world beyond. Jakub is especially good at using fog and haze to capture the menace of beasts on the prowl. 

Jakub has done a fantastic series of paintings dedicated to The Witcher as well as a series of alternate history pieces for his 1920s series. His work is currently serving as inspiration for new game based on north mythology. Here are some of favorite pieces by Jakub: