THE ART OF FANTASY: A Visual Sourcebook of All That is Unreal
S. ELIZABETH
Frances Lincoln Ltd
$30.00 hardcover, available now
Rating: 5* of five
The Publisher Says: The Art of Fantasy is an inspiring curation of art for fans of myth, magic and the unreal – from gallery greats (the Surrealists and Symbolists) to artists working in the margins today.
This beautiful, fully illustrated book presents a compendium of artworks throughout history which have been inspired by myth, fantasy and the unreal.
Artists have explored imaginary worlds and fantastical creatures for centuries, expressing the unreal and impossible, the mystical and mythical, via the medium of paint.
But what draws them to the imaginary, the uncharted and the unknown? Is it merely an escape from reality? Or are they seeking a greater understanding of the human experience, or perhaps the very meaning of life itself? With myriad styles and methods of expression, what links artists through the ages? And how have these visual flights of fancy and imagination changed over the course of time?
The Art of Fantasy is a visual sourcebook of all that is fantastical – from fine art to illustration, and from surrealists and symbolists to the creatives working in undefined territories. While the artists in our history books (Blake, Goya, Dali, Magritte, Ernst) first brought fantasy art to the galleries, it was the twentieth century artists who brought it to the masses. It is in this book that, for the first time, they are united and equally weighted, presenting a mesmerising and thoughtful curation of the best fantasy artwork out there.
This is an inspiring collection for fans of myth, magic, fantasy and art history.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.
My Review: I grew up around art, and artists. The first Christmas gift I remember the moment of getting is one I'd seen in the bookstore (they were mostly in department stores in those days, this one was in Saks Fifth Avenue), loved and wanted very badly: The Bayeux tapestry: the story of the Norman Conquest, 1066 by Norman Denny.
I was, as this shows, an odd kid. My favorite kids' books were Dr. Seuss's deeply surreal weirdnesses. My father and I absolutely loved reading those together. Our house was decorated with original art, and my mother's bestie for almost my entire life was an artist whose work still adorns my walls.
In short, I'm exactly the buyer, if only tangentially the reader/viewer, this book has in its crosshairs. I knew the artists and most of the artworks in here. I got the point of it immediately on reading the first few paragraphs. It's a very good introductory compendium for the oddball world of surreal and fantasy art and artists. I'm also inclined to give this book as a gift to someone of, say, thirteen or so on up, who loves fantasy books, who draws a lot, and/or who is just discovering the immensity of our visual culture.
The best thing about this beautiful object as a gift is it elucidates the visual and intellectual culture of "fantasy" as a creative worldview without going all art-history blather. It's a book that reads like the good conversation one can have with an older loved one on a subject dear to their own heart.
As a gift, I think it is about perfect. As a self-gift, it *is* perfect, worth your treasure in trade for its beauty and wisdom.
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