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Reera the Red
Rivendell
May 8 2007, 9:45am
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Tolkien Art: Costume and Culture in Ezpeleta's Art
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Tolkien Art: Costume and Culture in Ezpeleta's Art
When it comes to clothing and props for the characters she depicts, Ezpeleta doesn't restrict herself to the standard types of fantasy iconography, drawn mostly from medieval European models. She brings in various other cultures and periods, including modern clothing. In this thread we'll look at a few examples of her more unusual choices for costumes and accessories.
Eru and Ar-Pharazôn
For Ezpeleta, Númenor is Egyptian. And if you didn't get that the first time, she'll smack you over the head with it a few more times until you get the idea.
I had always interpreted this one as being Ar-Pharazôn setting foot on Valinor (note the orchids) with the heavily Egyptian Númenor in the background and Eru (represented by the fellow with touseled stripy hair whose neck dissolves into curlicues) about to zap him. Tar-Míriel shouldn't be there, of course, as she didn't accompany Ar-Pharazôn to Valinor, but perhaps that was artistic license.
However, Ezpeleta's comment on the Elfwood page indicates that this image comes from a childhood fantasy of hers that Ar-Pharazôn escaped the doom of Númenor and founded an Egyptian dynasty. That makes no sense, of course, but apparently she read the Sil as a young child and may not have really understood it at the time. Anyhow, the idea evidently lingered and she visualizes Númenor with an ancient Egyptian accent.
I'd never been sure what the object is that Tar-Míriel is carrying. My best guess was that it might be a canopic jar, used to hold the organs of the deceased who were mummified. Just recently I noticed that the image on the jar is from her picture Elven Light, which is evidently a memorial to Marisol, one of her beloved Dobermans. Tar-Míriel's jar is probably another tribute.
The weird snaky peach things remain a mystery. I think their heads are stylized Dobermans, though.
Visit at Dawn: Númenor
Sometimes Númenor isn't Egyptian, it's Persian. I don't know who these two are supposed to be.
Turgon
Gondolin is Egyptian, too. Maybe that's where the Númenoreans got the idea.
Idril
More Eqyptian influence in Gondolin. The object Idril is sitting on has been dubbed the "sphrinkler" in a past TORn discussion -- by whom, I don't recall. (Squire, is that one of yours?)
Idril's garment is most puzzling. At first glance it seems to be a sort of body stocking affair, but that webbing behind her right knee is strange -- is there a web attaching the legs, or what? I'd love to see her get up and walk around so I could figure it out.
I have no idea what the thing is in the background, left, which looks like hair, or what it's attached to. Speculations welcome.
Morgoth and Lúthien
Here we have Lúthien singing lullabies to Morgoth, while Beren (hanging from ropes at upper right) sneaks in to cut the Silmaril from Morgoth's crown. (We'll see another version of this scene later.) I'm not certain what influenced Morgoth's appearance here, but that cape he's wearing has a bit of a Mesoamerican look to me.
Eärendil
Here we are unmistakably Mesoamerican. This is Eärendil flying his ship with the Silmaril glowing on the bow, and Elwing flying out to meet him. It is based on the famous carving of the Mayan king Pakal, on the lid of his sarcophagus (detail about halfway down the page here.)
Glorfindel
Glorfindel's outfit here shows a bit of Renaissance influence, but it's not directly drawn from any place or period. Asfaloth looks dubious about it.
Finarfin and Galadriel
Here we have an interesting contrast, two versions of what is essentially the same image: Finarfin holding his infant daughter Galadriel. When he is at home Finarfin affects a Renaissance look, which is echoed in the furnishings. However, when he takes the kid out for a picnic in the country, he becomes Finarfin: Biker Dude. I assume his Harley is parked somewhere just off-camera.
Fëanor and Sons
Now that we're into modern clothing, here's about as eclectic an assortment as you could hope to see. The boys clearly have a wide variety of tastes, from the workmanlike and prosaic blond chap in the front to the two dark-haired ones with the vaguely Rennie look, to Maedhros (I think) with the orange tails and walking stick, and that lime-green suit on the far right that I'm rather glad I can't see more of.
Nocturnal Meeting
Here we have a nice contrast between practical and garish. This is Gildor (with his friends in the background) greeting the hobbits and scaring off the Black Rider, seen at right. Gildor may be a little scary-looking, but his clothing is strictly down-to-earth hiking gear (and entirely modern). The Black Rider, on the other hand, has a fashion sense which can only be described as bizarre. Please note the stiletto heel on his(?) boot -- not really the best thing for riding.
That's enough for this round. Next time we'll be looking at Ezpeleta's portrayals of major heroes of the First and Second Ages.
"People accuse me of being cross, and crabbed, and unsociable, and they are quite right." --Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
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Eowyn Wannabe
The Shire
May 8 2007, 2:54pm
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Idril's garment is most puzzling. At first glance it seems to be a sort of body stocking affair, but that webbing behind her right knee is strange -- is there a web attaching the legs, or what? I'd love to see her get up and walk around so I could figure it out.
I have no idea what the thing is in the background, left, which looks like hair, or what it's attached to. Speculations welcome.
I think it's actually a "body dress," and the webbing that appears behind her right knee is actually part of the skirt that's being lifted by her knee.
As for the object in the background, I think it's some kind of highly polished shield or something that's reflecting the back of her head. What isn't seen and is in my imagination is that she's riding with a few other folks who are holding said shields (there appears to be more than one such object). And yes, the perspective is off, because the shield certainly isn't behind her where it should be (based on the angle of her head), but that's my theory and I'm sticking with it.
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Reera the Red
Rivendell
May 8 2007, 3:27pm
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I think you're right about the "reflection".
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It doesn't make sense optically, but it does look like that background object is showing the back of her head -- the hair tendrils match, and you can see a shadowy line of her neck and shoulder. I'm still not sure what the mirroring object is, though.
I don't think she's actually "riding"; she's sitting on a lawn ornament. The sphrinkler seems to be a sort of fountain. I hope it doesn't move around; that would be entirely too scary.
I'd wondered whether her garment was a sort of tight knit dress, but I can't reconcile that with her left leg, which appears to be separately defined.
"People accuse me of being cross, and crabbed, and unsociable, and they are quite right." --Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
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entmaiden
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
May 8 2007, 3:31pm
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I first thought it was a shield
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but Idril's right arm appears to be at her side, so who's holding up the shield?
I think it may be an extension of whatever is happening off-page, because there's some sort of armor-thing just to the left of the sphrinkler.
Each cloak was fastened about the neck with a brooch like a green leaf veined with silver.
`Are these magic cloaks?' asked Pippin, looking at them with wonder.
`I do not know what you mean by that,' answered the leader of the Elves.
NARF since 1974.
Balin Bows
(This post was edited by entmaiden on May 8 2007, 3:32pm)
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FarFromHome
Valinor
May 8 2007, 3:45pm
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It seems to draw from so many mythologies, just as the Silmarillion does. It's stylized and strange, but the art of unfamiliar cultures should be that way. By comparison Lee, Howe and Naismith seem safe and dull.
But what I like about Ezpeleta is that she brings something new to Tolkien's work - especially the Sil, which really does warrant something more than ordinary "realistic" illustration. I admire Alan Lee's respectful approach of trying to leave room for the viewer's own imagination, but for me the question then becomes, why illustrate at all? Why not just avoid illustration altogether and give the reader's imagination free rein? If you're going to illustrate, you might as well challenge the viewer, and that's what Ezpeleta does. I may not necessarily "like" all her pictures, but most of them have made me think again about my preformed ideas, and that's got to be a good thing!
...and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew,
and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth;
and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore
glimmered and was lost.
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Eowyn Wannabe
The Shire
May 8 2007, 3:49pm
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At first I thought it was an off-page person or people
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but Idril's right arm appears to be at her side, so who's holding up the shield?
I think it may be an extension of whatever is happening off-page, because there's some sort of armor-thing just to the left of the sphrinkler.
Since it looks, at least to me, like the necks of about 2 or 3 other steeds behind her right knee, I assumed there were people riding horses and we just couldn't see them because of the perspective used.
But if we take the view that she's sitting in a garden instead of riding a moving creature that sprinkles plants as it walks via jets in its beard, then I'd assume the reflectors are actually mirrors of some kind arranged as yard art, just like her sphrinkler. Idril probably succumbed to the lure of kitsch now and then, as evidenced by the sphrinkler itself, so an arrangement of reflective surfaces wouldn't be such a stretch. Maybe she was inspired by the Sydney Opera House but filled in the openings with mirrors. Hey, it could happen.
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squire
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 5:39pm
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My best guesses on how to look at the Idril picture
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I think that this picture illustrates this line from The Silmarillion (Chap. 15: Of the Noldor in Beleriand):
But fairer than all the wonders of Gondolin was Idril, Turgon’s daughter,
Idril is the center of attention, posing to show off her beauty. She is riding sidesaddle (lady’s fashion) on a lion who is her father. The lion represents royalty of course. His pharaoh’s head highlights the Egyptian imagery that Ezpeleta favors in her depiction of the High Elves. Her skirt evokes the form-fitting pleated linen dresses of that era and class, as seen in this image of Queen Nefertiti accompanying her husband Akhenaton:
It is interesting to see that the father/lion/pharaoh is irrigating the fields of Gondolin, as shown by the sluices and the flowers they are watering. Even more interesting is the choice of four strands of beard/spritzers. Four is not an artistic number, being too symmetrical; I wonder if some lesser symbolism is intended (e.g. four seasons?). But notice that Idril has four very similar braids in her hair as seen in the reflection behind her. I’d suggest they show she is his daughter; and that her fertility is inherited from her father’s: as he waters his kingdom, so she will bring forth a kingdom in the future (we know it’s in the future, because her braids are hidden behind her unseen; only the mirror shows us her true power).
The Lion is very interesting. Along with the watering-can of a beard (whose embroidery is repeated at the tip of his tail), we see his fertility proclaimed by his testicles as well; and his body is drawn rounded, pink and naked, which ties the beast in with the rounded and naked body of Idril, though she is in the complementary color of green. I see some birth/vulnerability imagery here. Note how his curled tail echoes the curve of his neck, giving the picture a balanced composition and bringing the eye always back to Idril.
What else is Idril wearing? Some kind of skintight top, that shows off her own fertile attributes; and three sets of some kind of dual epaulet and chain thingie, in yellow and blue (her father’s colors), that I can’t identify: could it be heraldic? I think it must be meaningful that she wears them at her waist, her neck and her brow: they seem to separate and define her lower body (earth=lust/gestation), her upper body (water=heart/nourishment), and her face (air=beauty/intellect). I’m afraid to be too certain, but I feel all this also has something to do with her identity as the future mother of Earendil, which I think is the theme of the picture.
What is in the background? On the right it seems clear that those are the cliffs that surround and isolate Gondolin; on the left it’s not so clear, but along with its reflective qualities, the ensemble of curved triangular plates suggests to me some kind of armor (or as others here have guessed, shields). Symbolically, that would be the city of Gondolin itself. Perhaps the shields and the cliffs pair up to represent the protective environment, both natural and artificial, within which Idril lives.
To sum up: Idril is the meaning of and the reason for the entire Gondolin saga. Her royal father created, and still sustains, a sheltered and fertile place -- where Idril is born and where she awaits her coming role as mother and nurturer of Earendil, who is destined to save the world. The Egyptian imagery picks up on the idea of fertility hidden in the midst of a wilderness, as the Nile Valley is hidden below the African desert wastes.
squire online:
RR Discussions: The Valaquenta, A Shortcut to Mushrooms, and Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit
Footeramas: The 3rd TORn Reading Room LotR Discussion; and "Tolkien would have LOVED it!"
squiretalk introduces the J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: A Reader's Diary
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Aunt Dora Baggins
Immortal
May 8 2007, 5:50pm
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I think squire has it right: this is AU fanfic
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However, Ezpeleta's comment on the Elfwood page indicates that this image comes from a childhood fantasy of hers that Ar-Pharazôn escaped the doom of Númenor and founded an Egyptian dynasty. That makes no sense, of course, but apparently she read the Sil as a young child and may not have really understood it at the time. Anyhow, the idea evidently lingered and she visualizes Númenor with an ancient Egyptian accent.
(AU = alternate universe) There's lots of fanfic like that (non-canon) out there. There's one in which Boromir suvives and returns to Minas Tirith, for example. And lots of others that are much, much further afield. Sam and Frodo get married, for example, or Merry gets the Ring and becomes evil. From what my daughter tells me, some non-canon fanfic mixes characters from different stories entirely, sort of like we do in the arena. Sam Gamgee and Hermione Granger might have an affair, for example (I made that up). It's usually clearly labeled AU so that the reader will know not to expect it to follow the story. I haven't read much AU, because it annoys me; I prefer canon fanfic like Kimi's beautiful 'Passing of Mistress Rose'.
Anyway, I can stand Ezpeleta better if I think of her work that way. But I can't help thinking of how indignant Tolkien was about those bizarre covers on the 60s Ballantine editions of LotR, and imagining his reaction to Ezpeleta (to say nothing of the fanfics.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large wastebasket. Dora was Drogo's sister, and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of good advice for more than half a century."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chance Meeting at Rivendell: a Tolkien Fanfic
and some other stuff I wrote...
leleni at hotmail dot com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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drogo
Lorien
May 8 2007, 6:27pm
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Nice reading of the iconography. Gondolin is a sheltered island of fertility and, ultimately, Idril's greatest contribution to posterity was bearing Earendil, from whom the "dynasties" of both Elves and Men spring.
There may be some method to her madness.
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Curious
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 7:00pm
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Well, I'll agree that *you* are right.
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I don't think squire or I knew enough about fan fiction to categorize it as the Alternative Universe variety. In fact, squire said that Ezpeleta "follows the formal esthetic found almost universally in fan fiction but almost never in fan art." I didsagree with that statement. I compared Ezpeleta to "'Mary Sue' fan fiction or 'slash' fan fiction," as opposed to what I consider "the better fan fiction," which can be "remarkably faithful to Tolkien." Had I known about AU fan fiction I would have used that term.
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Curious
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 7:17pm
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So far I haven't seen anyone say they *like* Ezpeleta. But a number of
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people are willing to come to her defense. I think this may be a case of enjoying the role of devil's advocate, rather than sincere admiration for her artwork. People pick and choose certain aspects of her art they can defend, but that is sort of like saying that a strange piece of art is "interesting."
And believe me, I can nitpick about Lee, Howe, and Naismith until the cows come home. Blok and Baynes are my favorite Tolkien artists. But Ezpeleta is not illustrating Tolkien, as such, but, as Aunt Dora says, an alternative universe loosely inspired by Tolkien.
I just can't imagine Ezpeleta reading and rereading Tolkien's text to make sure she created an intelligent illustration of his work. An intelligent illustration does not have to be conventional! But I would like to think that the illustrator has at least read the work he or she is illustrating more than once, and might even have pertinent quotes available when composing the drawing.
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Nerdanel
Rivendell
May 8 2007, 7:32pm
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Morgoth and Lúthien and random comments.
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Morgoth and Lúthien shows a certain fidelity to JRRT, apart from Lú's shockingly red hair which could never put anyone to sleep. You can see Morgoth's burned right hand, for example, and the Silmaril's in his crown.
You mention the picture from Elven Light on Tar-Míriel's jar (egg?). Elven Light seems clearly to be Marisol the doberman as elf. Maybe all of Ezpeleta's weird elf faces are meant to be part dog?
I can't come right out and say I like Ezpeleta's work, but the colors are pretty and it is always interesting.
The comments under each pic at Elfwood are priceless!
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Curious
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 7:38pm
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That sounds right, and it comforts me to think that there is some rhyme or reason behind the drawing. I still don't like the drawing, mind you -- I find it neither beautiful nor enlightening -- but I dislike it less now that you have explained it to me.
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Darkstone
Immortal
May 8 2007, 7:38pm
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I think this may be a case of enjoying the role of devil's advocate, rather than sincere admiration for her artwork.
Or maybe, just maybe, people really *are* being truthful when they post.
As my old logic professor said.....
All is not gold that glitters,
All is not pure that shines.
Follow your mother's teachings
And happiness will be thine!
-Bugs Bunny, "Bowery Bugs", 1949.
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Reera the Red
Rivendell
May 8 2007, 7:40pm
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I find her work amusing, and often interesting; I enjoy trying to figure out what the heck she's doing, and she generally has a lot of strange little details to mull over. Her style is weird and her Elves are ugly, but she has imagination, some technical ability (though it's wildly uneven) and a cockeyed way of looking at things that I rather like. She doesn't influence my visualization of Tolkien's works (neither does any other artist, actually), but she's fun.
"People accuse me of being cross, and crabbed, and unsociable, and they are quite right." --Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
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Reera the Red
Rivendell
May 8 2007, 7:47pm
Post #17 of 49
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Morgoth and Lúthien shows a certain fidelity to JRRT, apart from Lú's shockingly red hair which could never put anyone to sleep. This one is exceptional in that regard -- she usually depicts Lúthien as canonically dark-haired (and dressed in blue.) We'll look at a couple of examples tomorrow. Not sure why the copper hair and gown here.
You mention the picture from Elven Light on Tar-Míriel's jar (egg?). Elven Light seems clearly to be Marisol the doberman as elf. Maybe all of Ezpeleta's weird elf faces are meant to be part dog? It just dawned on me today that the strange, green "mask" effect she's been using on some of her Elves in her more recent work echoes the facial pattern on a doberman. That gal is obsessed with her dobies; there's no getting around it.
"People accuse me of being cross, and crabbed, and unsociable, and they are quite right." --Red Reera, the Yookoohoo
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Curious
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 7:52pm
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I'm not accusing anyone of lying!
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I just haven't heard anyone say they like her art. For example, you said:
Well, anyway, just because it's really different and hard to get a grip on doesn't necessarily mean it's bad art. Who knows? Perhaps in a hundred years Ezpeleta will be *the* Tolkien illustrator.
Saying it is not necessarily bad art is not the same as saying it is good art.
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Curious
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 8:05pm
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That's hardly a ringing endorsement.
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If you have to define it so precisely, she's probably not on your "like" list. On the other hand, as you say, she can be fun. I suppose there is nothing wrong with fun, as long as we don't get carried away and start calling her good or brilliant.
After all, I've been known to call the Hildebrandts fun. Not brilliant, not even good, but sometimes fun. Lots of bad art is so bad it is fun. Especially when the artists take themselves quite seriously, as I am sure the Hildebrandts and Ezpeleta do.
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 8:14pm
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Without some textual indication by Ezpeleta, I'd have no way of knowing that this is meant to be Idril. Only with the title can your interpretation be connected in any way to Tolkien.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Tolkien Illustrated! Jan. 29-May 20: Visit the Reading Room to discuss art by John Howe, Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and others, including Tolkien himself.
Apr. 30-May 6: Post-Tolkienian Fantasy Art.
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FarFromHome
Valinor
May 8 2007, 8:18pm
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Well I don't know much about art
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but I try not to limit my reactions to it by thinking in terms of what I like and dislike. I prefer to have my opinions challenged, not pandered to. And Ezpeleta certainly does that! I find her picture of the hobbits meeting Gildor strangely appealing, somehow. Of course it's not the way I ever imagined it, or the way Tolkien would ever have thought of it, I'm sure. But like a medieval illustration, it seems to be representing things in a non-literal, iconic way that says something new and different about this scene.
I don't know whether I "like" it or not, but in any case I don't think art should be aiming to please. Maybe illustration should - that's a question I tried to raise when we started these discussions, and I still don't really know the answer to that!
...and the sails were drawn up, and the wind blew,
and slowly the ship slipped away down the long grey firth;
and the light of the glass of Galadriel that Frodo bore
glimmered and was lost.
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drogo
Lorien
May 8 2007, 8:31pm
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I like her because she is wacky and creative
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And by wacky I mean unconventional and daring enough to use her own vision, even if others are repelled by it for being so unorthodox. Yes, she uses very alien traditions to render Tolkien's universe, but there are flashes of brilliance and great creativity. I like seeing Morgoth and Luthien dancing in a Bollywood-style drama, or Idril as a Nefertiti, or Earendil as the Mayan king Pacal sailing into the stars.
And, as Reera aptly puts it, she's also fun and very whimsical in her art. I laugh with everyone else when someone posts her paintings on Main, but I genuinely enjoy her often kooky images and the obvious joy she has in painting them.
Some may dislike her for the sexuality or the non-Northern European imagery she's using. That's fine, and I respect that; she is certainly not for everyone. But those of us who like her work are not betraying the professor or his vision just because we like her in addition to the traditional artists like Lee and Nasmith. I find it puzzling you are so defensive about others liking something you don't like.
I want to see Ezpeleta do Milton's Paradise Lost or illustrate Wagner's Ring Cycle--and I am a big Gustav Dore and Arthur Rackham lover as well.
(This post was edited by drogo on May 8 2007, 8:32pm)
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N.E. Brigand
Half-elven
May 8 2007, 8:39pm
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"repelled by it for being so unorthodox"
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I daresay some people dislike her work for other reasons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tolkien Illustrated! Jan. 29-May 20: Visit the Reading Room to discuss art by John Howe, Alan Lee, Ted Nasmith and others, including Tolkien himself.
Apr. 30-May 6: Post-Tolkienian Fantasy Art.
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Eowyn Wannabe
The Shire
May 8 2007, 8:44pm
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You spent far more time figuring it out than I ever could have. I think I'd need you to find similar symbolism in all of her pictures to make them explicable to me.
And to Curious, no, I don't like Ezpeleta, either. For me, her work is kind of like a car wreck -- you just can't pull your eyes away until you're satisfied that everyone got out okay. Or, in this case, until you figure out what in the WORLD she was trying to convey in her undeniably quirky manner.
But I don't like Cor Blok, either. And I do like the Hildebrandts. To each his/her own, I guess.
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Darkstone
Immortal
May 8 2007, 8:45pm
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Speaking for myself I am not playing devil's advocate, but attempting to articulate my own sincere thoughts and feelings. Take them or leave them, agree with them or ridicule them, but don't say they're not truly mine own.
Anwyway, N.E. Brigand and I have already gotten into whether liking something makes it good art and whether disliking something makes it bad art. For example, I can acknowledge that Some Like It Hot is a great movie and an artistic triumph, but I dislike it intensely. On the other hand I absolutely love Xanadu, but I have to concede right off that it is incompetently put together and one of the worst examples of cinematic art ever produced.
As for Ezpeleta, like I said, it's like with Picasso where I go "Huh?" and feel my own artistic sensibilities challenged. And that is art. As opposed to the familiar fuzzy feel-good Norman Rockwellesque illustrations we've had up to now.
Do I like Ezpeleta? I don't know. But I do know I feel a greater anticipation when a new Ezpeleta comes out than a new Lee or Howe. That says something, though I'm not sure what.
All is not gold that glitters,
All is not pure that shines.
Follow your mother's teachings
And happiness will be thine!
-Bugs Bunny, "Bowery Bugs", 1949.
(This post was edited by Darkstone on May 8 2007, 8:50pm)
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