The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Author: J.R.R. Tolkien | Language: English | ISBN:
0547928254 | Format: PDF
The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien Description
From Booklist
As Tolkien fans mark the seventy-fifth anniversary of The Hobbit and await the first film in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, following his triumphant Lord of the Rings epic, they can peruse the profoundly imaginative writer’s artwork for his first published novel. Coauthors Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull continue their championing of Tolkien’s artistry, launched with J. R. R. Tolkien: Artist & Illustrator (1995), with this handsome and informative showcase for the sketches, plans, drawings, maps, and paintings—many never before published or reproduced in color—that Tolkien created as he refined his vision and readied his manuscript for publication. Readers can see Tolkien clarifying his layout of the village of Hobbiton, based on prehistoric European lake settlements, and creating the dramatic landscapes his characters traverse based on his walking tour through the Swiss Alps. Tolkien’s Hobbit illustrations, Hammond and Scull attest in their consistently intriguing commentary, are “among the finest work he achieved as an artist.” Tolkien’s intimate and inventive handmade creations stand in evocative contrast to cinematic opulence. --Donna Seaman
Review
“A splendid introduction to Tolkien the artist . . . Editors and experts Hammond and Scull walk through the classic book's publication history, providing context for the over 100 pieces of artwork, some never before published, which the author prepared to accompany his account of Bilbo Baggins's adventures.” – Publishers Weekly
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- Hardcover: 144 pages
- Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; First Edition edition (September 18, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0547928254
- ISBN-13: 978-0547928258
- Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.3 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote his classic book "The Hobbit," he also made several illustrations for it. "The Art of The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien" explores all the artwork that Tolkien produced for that book -- every sketch and version of the illustrations, and how they related to the text. It's not a read for casual fans, but for Tolkien aficionados.
Wayne G. Hammond and Christina Scull carefully study all the pictures Tolkien drew -- the trolls, the interior of Beorn's hall, the entrance to the Elf-King's home, Rivendell from different angles, Bag End and the surrounding Hobbiton, Lonely Mountain, and so on. Each picture is shown in large, clear formats (sometimes with fold-out pages).
But they don't just study the final product. Just about every piece of art Tolkien made for "The Hobbit" is in here, from rough pencil sketches to detailed maps and watercolors. Even the scribbles in the margins are preserved.
And there's a lot of analysis of how these pictures came to be. Scull and Hammond explore Tolkien's "Hobbit" art, artistic influences and the evolution of Tolkien's artwork, as well as some of the changes he made along the way (the Elf-King's gate abruptly changes shape). And they answer some important questions in their analyses, such as... why is Bilbo wearing boots in some of the pictures?
As an artist, Tolkien comes across as possessing real talent, but technically untutored. His art ranges from pencil sketches showing the basic outlines to delicate pen-and-ink work, and even color work in deep earth tones of brown and grey.
He wasn't a great artist -- Scull and Hammond note that he had some artistic issues, such as the scale of furniture in Bag End.
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