His figures looked real, as did the clothing they wore, the weapons they carried, and the environments they inhabited. He evoked an impression of "groundedness" that contrasted powerfully with the fever dream phantasmagoria of Otus and the dark density of Trampier, both of whom were examplars of an age that was passing, while Elmore was the spirit of the transition between Gold and Silver.
Considering that this is the time that I got into D&D and fantasy, it's no wonder that it's my preferred type of fantasy imagery. I like my fantasy to be grounded in reality, thank you very much. My interest in fantasy stoked an interest in medieval history, or maybe it was vice versa. When your fantasy fighters look like historical knights, it can be hard to tell sometimes what influenced what.
It's funny, because right now I'm running a game with my SO that's set in the world of Yrth, the setting developed for GURPS Fantasy. It's as grounded in fantasy realism as you could hope to get--in fact, I suspect the whole setting came about as a thought exercise of taking the tropes of Silver Age D&D and extrapolating them as realistically as possible. And I love every bit of it.
Oh sure, I've got my love of gonzo pulp fantasy as well, but that developed much later on. Fantasy realism is something I've always held dear to my heart, and I'm happy to now have a term to apply to my bizarre tastes. So here's to Fantasy Realism! May it live on in the hearts and minds of all those who would hold it dear.
Always have to post a comment whenever Keith Parkinson's work shows up, because he's probably my favorite artist from that era. He did a great job of wondering why I couldn't be there, which IMO, is the point of fantasy realism.
ReplyDeleteAs a fellow fantasy realist fan, I salute you.
ReplyDeleteZweihander is absolutely right: those pictures make you want to be there, and feel that, if you just reached out your hand, you could almost touch the contents. Great stuff.
100% THUMBS UP. Even though I do play 4E - with an old-school campaign style - one of the many things I hate about the 4E books is the artwork. OK, some of it is good - but only a few pieces are great. That cartoony style in the PHB... ack! Fantasy Realism illustrations are the best. Probably one of the reasons why I own all the 3E FRCS stuff, but rarely played in that realm. heh...
ReplyDeleteAs my introduction to "fantasy" was the original DL trilogy, and Big Black Box D&D / 2E D&D was my entry into gaming, I know just what you mean. I can appreciate the older stuff for what it is, but that period from the mid-80's to the mid-90's will remain my own Golden Age of fantasy art, at as far as gaming is concerned (I am a mega Frazetta fan, however).
ReplyDeleteI think it was also a period of time where a lot of the fantasy novels coming out were beginning to take to heart the idea that fantasy worlds weren't just bizarre amalgams of weirdness, but functioning worlds that were very carefully "designed" to seem "real", or at least more real than just a lot of scattered tidbits tossed onto a map.
AND, it was the period of time where you had the rise of the "simulationist" RPGs like GURPS and a lot of the "realism" expansions to D&D like the Wilderness and Dungeoneer's Survival Guides, along with a lot of other RPGs that prided themselves on their verisimilitude, so I guess in the end, it's all part of a greater movement.
Perhaps its telling that this movement came about when we moved out of the dreamy 70's and found ourselves in the more pragmatic, "grounded" 80's?
I love fantasy realism. I've selected dozens (possibly hundreds by now) pieces of realistic fantasy art created over the last several centuries on my blog.
ReplyDeleteWaterhouse, Friedrich, NC Wyeth, Rossetti, Moran, Reubens, Bergslien, Leighton...
http://shatterworldrpg.blogspot.com/
You sir are a scholar and a gentleman.
ReplyDelete