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Tolkien like you’ve never seen him before

Katy Carl

We talk a lot about Tolkien at Dappled Things, and with good reason. But if you haven’t seen these illustrations of The Lord of the Rings by Ukrainian artist Sergei Iukhimov, do treat yourself by clicking through to revel in their pure medieval goodness.

tolkien1

They are not exactly, as one of the hosting sites claims, like something out of a 13th-century text. Instead, imagine a cross between the art of Michael O’Brien and Daniel Mitsui, with a splash of surrealism.
Many visual interpretations of Tolkien have the misfortune of being a bit too on-the-nose and literal, if not swept totally into a World-of-Warcraft-esque melodrama (the recent Peter Jackson films knock at the door of the latter at certain points, though they have moments of great beauty and fidelity as well), or bland Kinkade-style escapism. By contrast, these illustrations stick close to the spirit of Tolkien’s own hand drawings (see here): whimsical, atmospheric, borrowing heavily from iconography, heraldry, and the manuscript tradition. You’re welcome!

tolkien2

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Filed Under: Deep Down Things

Katy Carl

About Katy Carl

Katy Carl is Editor in Chief of Dappled Things.

Comments

  1. AvatarNatalie Morrill says

    July 24, 2014 at 11:02 am

    Wonderful! But you need more than two paintings: http://www.liveinternet.ru/community/2281209/post116167073

    • AvatarKaty says

      July 24, 2014 at 12:00 pm

      Oh yes! But I thought that link was included: click on the word “illustrations” in the first paragraph. Thanks for highlighting it for those who may have missed it!

      • AvatarNatalie Morrill says

        July 25, 2014 at 9:42 am

        Oh yeah! Don’t mind me. I’m just link-blind.

Mary, Queen of Angels 2020

Purchase Featuring nonfiction from Joshua Hren, fiction from Jennifer Marie Donahue and Rob Davidson and the winners and honorees of the Bakhita Prize in Visual Arts.

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