Middle-earth: Visions of a Modern Myth by Donato Giancola (17.01.11 by Pieter Collier) - Comments

"I cannot express to you how excited I am about this book. Ever since my brother Michael handed me 'The Hobbit' to read when I was a teenager, I have dreamed of the chance to share my passions about J.R.R. tolkien's Middle-earth with the world in a manner I felt conveyed the weight of the burden placed on the Fellowship. To those ends, I have embraced the narrative and humanistic aesthetics of the European Rennaisance to interprete 'The Lord of the Rings'. As many of you can guess, the works of John Howe, Ted Nasmith, David Wenzel, Ian Miller and Alan Lee, amongst many others, helped inspire my own pursuits of Tolkien worlds in the grandest manner possible. I hope you enjoy my explorations... " - Donato Giancola

It is no secret I'm very much a lover of art. I very much like the art of Caravaggio (and actually find the person Caravaggio fascinating as well, but that is for another article). Not so long ago I had the chance to see some original paintings by Donato Giancola and his art immediatly reminded me of the great master Caravaggio. No one portrays Gandalf like Giancola!

Spending some time on Amazon lately I discovered a book that is dedicated to all Giancola's Middle-earth related art. Picked up a copy and am very happy with it. It is nice to see that Giancola has decided for his first art book to show us his Tolkien art!

From the brush of Donato Giancola, one of the world's most recognized and lauded fantasy artists, comes a book filled with new illustrations that apply his legendary Renaissance craftsmanship to JRR tolkien's fantastic Middle-earth.

Dramatic lighting and deft draftsmanship reminiscent of master painters like Caravaggio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer explain Donato's popularity with millions of fans, as well as the numerous Hugo and Chesley Awards he has received.

This long-awaited, moving, and beautiful voyage through Middle-earth - a must-have for eager genre readers everywhere - offers a refreshingly new exploration of literature's most beloved fantasy realm.

From Helm's Deep to Mount Doom, Donato takes readers on a colorful tour filled with warriors, wizards, dragons, and dwarfs.

Throughout he exhibits his astonishing technical virtuosity with every scene he brings to life, while also demonstrating the delight and wonder familiar to all true devotees of Middle-earth.

At first I thought to post some images here of the work by Giancola, but then I found a youtube movie flipping through the book would be better to show what is about.

One day I hope to meet this artist and be able to interview him about his art work; since it is just spectacular and amazing. It always makes me wonder how the artist is who created pieces like this... maybe he has something of Caravaggio? Who knows... I'll have to find out!
Middle-earth: Visions of a Modern Myth by Donato Giancola


About Donato Giancola

Donato Giancola is an American artist, born in 1967 and raised in Colchester, Vermont. After studying electrical engineering at the University of Vermont between 1985 and 1988 he pursued his love for art at the College of Visual and Performing Arts at the Syracuse University where Donato Giancola graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BFA in painting in May 1992.

Donato Giancola is specialized in science fiction and fantasy illustration, but since he started his professional career in 1993 his list of clients includes from major book publishers to concept design firms, such as LucasArts, National Geographic, CNN, DC Comics, Wizards of the Coast, Tor Books, Random House and Hasbro just to name a few.

Donato Giancola’s talent was recognized with an impressive list of nominations and awards, Hamilton King Award for Excellence, World Fantasy Award for Best Artist, eight Chesley Awards, three Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist and multiple silver and gold medals from the juried annual Spectrum: The Best of Contemporary Art. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Brooklyn, New York.

Title: Middle-earth: Visions of a Modern Myth
Author: Donato Giancola
Publisher: Underwood Books

Publication Date:
October 1, 2010

Type: hardcover, 88 pages

ISBN-10: 1599290472
ISBN-13: 978-1599290478


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