Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration

For hundreds of years, artists have been inspired by the imaginative potential of fantasy. Unlike science fiction, which is based on fact, fantasy presents an impossible reality--a universe where dragons breathe fire, angels battle demons, and magicians weave spells. Published to coincide with a major exhibition organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum, this handsome volume reveals how artists have brought to life mythology, fables, and fairy tales, as well as modern epics like The Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones.

The main text of Enchanted, by exhibition curator Jesse Kowalski, traces the emergence of the themes of fantasy in the world's civilizations, and the development of fantasy illustration from the Old Masters to the Victorian fairy painters, to Golden Age illustrators like Howard Pyle and Arthur Rackham, to classic cover artists like Frank Frazetta and Boris Vallejo, to emerging talents like Anna Dittmann and Victo Ngai. Additional essays by distinguished contributors address particular aspects of fantasy illustration, such as the relationship between science and fantasy in the nineteenth century, and the illustrators of Robert E. Howard.

Enchanted features more than 180 color illustrations, including numerous stunning full-page reproductions. This handsome volume is a must-have reference for artists and illustrators, and a delight for all lovers of fantasy.

Author: Jesse Kowalski
Publisher: Abbeville Press
Published: 07/07/2020
Pages: 256
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 3.30lbs
Size: 11.30h x 9.20w x 0.90d
ISBN: 9780789213709

About the Author
Kowalski, Jesse: - Jesse Kowalski is Curator of Exhibitions at the Norman Rockwell Museum. Previously, he spent nearly two decades at the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. In addition to Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration, he has organized several popular exhibitions on the art of Andy Warhol that have traveled around the globe. He has also curated two exhibitions on the work of comic book artist Alex Ross--Heroes & Villains and Superheroes & Superstars--as well as Hanna-Barbera: The Architects of Saturday Morning; Inventing America: Rockwell and Warhol; Never Abandon Imagination: The Fantastical Art of Tony DiTerlizzi; and The Art & Wit of Rube Goldberg, among others.Burke, Rusty: - Rusty Burke is considered one of the foremost scholars on Robert E. Howard and his work. He edited a number of early chapbooks for Necronomicon Press, was founding editor of The Dark Man: The Journal of Robert E. Howard Studies, and was series editor for the Wandering Star, Del Rey, and Bison Books editions of Howard's work. He has written numerous articles, essays, and introductions about Howard and compiled several references for Howard scholars. He annotated Howard's Collected Letters for the Robert E. Howard Foundation Press, and with S. T. Joshi and David Schultz was editor/annotator for the two-volume A Means to Freedom: The Letters of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard, from Hippocampus Press. Burke serves as President and Chairman of the REHFoundation. Originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, he lives in Washington, DC.Carter, Alice A.: - Alice A. Carter is cofounder and Professor Emeritus of San Jose State University's award-winning Animation/Illustration program. She is the former Co-Director of Education at the Walt Disney Family Museum and currently President of the Board of Trustees at the Norman Rockwell Museum, as well as visiting faculty for the University of Hartford's low-residency MFA in Illustration. Carter earned her BFA at the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and her master's degree at Stanford University. Academic honors include San Jose State's Outstanding Professor award; a Fulbright Fellowship in Cairo, Egypt; the New York Society of Illustrators' Distinguished Educator in the Arts award; and the Umhoefer Prize for Achievement in the Humanities. Carter's illustration clients have included LucasFilm Ltd., Rolling Stone magazine, the New York Times, and ABC Television. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and museums throughout the country, including the New York Society of Illustrators' Museum of American Illustration, the Norman Rockwell Museum, the Art Institute of Houston, and the New Britain Museum. Carter's publications include The Art of National Geographic: One Hundred Years of Illustration; The Red Rose Girls: An Uncommon Story of Art and Love; The Essential Thomas Eakins; and Cecilia Beaux: A Modern Painter in the Gilded Age. Ms. Carter has curated exhibitions at the Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia; the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts; and the Society of Illustrators' Museum of American Illustration in New York City. Carter is a member of the Hall of Fame Committee at the New York Society of Illustrators and is on the advisory board of Spectrum Fantastic Art.
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