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A history of fantasy illustration, from Arthur Rackham and Boris Vallejo to Anna Dittmann and Heather Edwards. Edited by Jesse Kowalski.
List of contents
Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration
Edited by Jesse Kowalski
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Message from the Director
Frank Frazetta
Sara Frazetta
Telling Stories
Arnie Fenner
Introduction
Jesse Kowalski, curator, Norman Rockwell Museum
Chapter One: On the Side of the Angels: Fantasy in an Age of Discovery
Alice A. Carter, Award-winning artist and art historian
Chapter Two: An Artist’s Perspective on Contemporary Fantasy Painting
Gregory Manchess, Award-winning illustrator and instructor
Chapter Three: The Life and Work of Fantasy Author Robert E. Howard
Rusty Burke, President and Chairman of the Robert E. Howard Foundation
Chapter Four: Of Reenchantment and Renewal: Where Art, Archetypes, and Fantasy Meet
Craig Chalquist, Ph.D, author and scholar
Chapter Five: Real and Imagined: Fantastical Rockwell
Stephanie Haboush Plunkett, Deputy Director/Chief Curator, Norman Rockwell Museum
Notes
Exhibition Checklist
About the Authors
Image Credits
Index
About the author
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.
Summary
The first-ever 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.
