Fantasy art websites are great places for fans of the genre to find information and imagery. Though it has never quite been considered part of the art world's mainstream this genre has been incredibly influential and remains massively popular to this day. What many fans discuss online is who they think the greatest ever proponent of the genre is and why.
With so many great names and so much visionary work created over the years, answering that question is a tough task. This guide can, however, offer up three of this genre's most famous and influential artists. For those are dipping their toe into fantasy art, these names are a great place to start, creating as they have many of the world's most well-known pieces of art.
Even those with no interest in the genre will be somewhat familiar with the work of H. R. Giger. The Swiss surrealist was the man who inspired the design for 'Alien' the ground breaking sci-fi horror which took the box office by surprise in 1981. His most famous work remains 'Necronom 4' in which the genesis for the Alien design can be seen.
That painting has all the hallmarks of Giger. It has the dark, weird subject matter. It has the creature's body both grotesque and beautiful. It has a strange, dream-like attention to weird detail. It has the brilliant use of shade. Giger's influence has extended to the music industry too where he has designed cover art and instruments for many heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock and new wave acts.
While Giger might be the first name people think of when they hear the term 'fantasy art, ' it is likely Frank Frazetta is the second. This behemoth of the genre worked in comic books, movie posters and album art throughout the 60s and 70s and his effect on the scope and feel of the genre was equal to that of Giger. Most well-known of his works is probably 'Death Dealer', his highly significant 1973 painting.
It depicts the figure of a ghostly knight, his face pitch black but for two glowing red eyes, his body clad in terrifying armour and his axe stained with blood. He straddles a powerful, hellish horse and stares into the painting with blazing fury. This picture has inspired countless spin offs, movies, comic books and RPGs.
During the 1980s Role-Playing board games like Dungeons and Dragons rose to incredible popularity. Part and parcel of these games was the detailed cover and figure art which sparked the players imagination. One of the greatest proponents of this work was Jim Holloway who worked on many of RPG giants TSR's landmark titles. Considering the amount of work he did it could be said he did more than anyone else to shape the imagery associated with fantasy than anybody else for a whole generation of kids.
Nowadays Jim Holloway still works in the medium and he attributes his success to the people who called him a poor artist in his youth. He is fond of telling fantasy art websites that he flunked art in college. One of the main reasons he was so determined to forge a career afterwards was to prove the professors who sneered at his unique vision wrong.
With so many great names and so much visionary work created over the years, answering that question is a tough task. This guide can, however, offer up three of this genre's most famous and influential artists. For those are dipping their toe into fantasy art, these names are a great place to start, creating as they have many of the world's most well-known pieces of art.
Even those with no interest in the genre will be somewhat familiar with the work of H. R. Giger. The Swiss surrealist was the man who inspired the design for 'Alien' the ground breaking sci-fi horror which took the box office by surprise in 1981. His most famous work remains 'Necronom 4' in which the genesis for the Alien design can be seen.
That painting has all the hallmarks of Giger. It has the dark, weird subject matter. It has the creature's body both grotesque and beautiful. It has a strange, dream-like attention to weird detail. It has the brilliant use of shade. Giger's influence has extended to the music industry too where he has designed cover art and instruments for many heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock and new wave acts.
While Giger might be the first name people think of when they hear the term 'fantasy art, ' it is likely Frank Frazetta is the second. This behemoth of the genre worked in comic books, movie posters and album art throughout the 60s and 70s and his effect on the scope and feel of the genre was equal to that of Giger. Most well-known of his works is probably 'Death Dealer', his highly significant 1973 painting.
It depicts the figure of a ghostly knight, his face pitch black but for two glowing red eyes, his body clad in terrifying armour and his axe stained with blood. He straddles a powerful, hellish horse and stares into the painting with blazing fury. This picture has inspired countless spin offs, movies, comic books and RPGs.
During the 1980s Role-Playing board games like Dungeons and Dragons rose to incredible popularity. Part and parcel of these games was the detailed cover and figure art which sparked the players imagination. One of the greatest proponents of this work was Jim Holloway who worked on many of RPG giants TSR's landmark titles. Considering the amount of work he did it could be said he did more than anyone else to shape the imagery associated with fantasy than anybody else for a whole generation of kids.
Nowadays Jim Holloway still works in the medium and he attributes his success to the people who called him a poor artist in his youth. He is fond of telling fantasy art websites that he flunked art in college. One of the main reasons he was so determined to forge a career afterwards was to prove the professors who sneered at his unique vision wrong.
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