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From June 12 to October 31, 2021, the Norman Rockwell Museum has on display “Enchanted: A History of Fantasy Illustration.” The exhibition includes between 100 and 200 works, filling four rooms. In this post and last week’s, I’m sharing a dozen or so of my favorite works from the exhibition. For more on why you should see the exhibition even if you’re firmly reality-oriented, see last week’s post.

Lady Violetta and the Knave, 1925

This painting was for one of the last children’s books illustrated by Parrish – one of the most successful American artists of the early twentieth century. On Parrish’s career and what made his work unique, see my book Artist-Entrepreneurs: Saint Gaudens, MacMonnies, and Parrish. This painting, along with N.C. Wyeth’s Legends of Charlemagne (from last week) is in the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Los Angeles, which will open in 2023.

Little Red, 2014

Meeks’s Little Red Riding Hood didn’t need a hunter to kill the wolf. This work is a digital print, i.e., it was designed on a computer. Another reason to see the exhibition in person is that digital prints, ink drawings, and watercolors are always behind glass, and the glare and reflection make it difficult to photograph them. For this work, you should try to imagine the background a uniform gray, without those two obtrusive white rectangles. It’s simple, elegant, bold, and a bit eerie.

See more works by Miranda Meeks here.

Beauty and the Beast, 1994

I’ve never seen Beauty and the Beast shown with such contrasting styles and colors … but the repetition of the curves and the fact that she’s silhouetted against the Beast’s cape tie them together. The one area of sharp angles is the triangular pattern behind Beauty’s head, which draws attention both to her head and to the Beast’s head. This painting is fun to study for the repetition of colors: what do the purple patches link together? The orange? The yellow? The use of gold leaf always makes a painting look slightly fantastical to me, which is completely appropriate to a fairy-tale subject. (Compare Brad Kunkle‘s paintings, which include realistic figures and backgrounds but seem some-other-worldly.)

Blackshear has illustrated magazines, worked for movie studios, and designed postage stamps. More of his works, including a print of Beauty and the Beast, are here.

The Big Red Dragon, 1991

The dragon confronting St. George in last week’s post seems tame by comparison, doesn’t it? This image was featured on the cover of the 1991 book The New Easy-to-Master Dungeons and Dragons Game. Easley worked for D&D for more than ten years.

More info about Jeff Easley, and prints of some of his works, are available here.

Pegasus Befriends the Muses, 2018

I have no idea what those creatures are surrounding the woman who rides Pegasus, but I love the colors and the exuberance of this work. It’s a large painting, some 4 x 5 feet.

Julie Bell studied art in college, raised two children, and became a nationally ranked bodybuilder. In 1989, she began modeling for fantasy artist Boris Vallejo, whom she eventually married, and with whom she occasionally collaborates. She is now a well-known illustrator in her own right. See more of her works (including a print of this one) here.

The Scourge Diva, 2019

Illustration for the “Ravnica Allegiance” expansion pack in the role-playing game Magic: The Gathering. I suspect this wouldn’t have made the cut of my favorites had the title not included the word “diva”, which I associate with opera … which I have been missing very, very much for the past year and a half.

Burt has also created images for Dungeons and Dragons, for videogames such as Fallout, Batman, and The Sims, and for movies such as Black Panther and the Avengers franchise. On his site, I particularly like D’Artagnan Evolved.

I Dreamt I Could Fly, 2017

Album cover for an EP by Blaudiss, I Dreamt I Could Fly. Dittmann works in oil, watercolor, and charcoal as well as on the computer. This image is one of those used for the publicity of the Enchanted exhibit. More of her works are here.

More

• To supplement the “Enchanted” exhibition, the Norman Rockwell Museum has collected statements by some of the artists about their work. Download the app for the museum in the Play Store or iTunes store. The Rockwell’s website also offers several videos.
• In Getting More Enjoyment from Sculpture You Love, I demonstrate a method for looking at sculptures in detail, in depth, and on your own. Learn to enjoy your favorite sculptures more, and find new favorites. Available on Amazon print and Kindle formats.
• Want wonderful art delivered weekly to your inbox? Check out my free Sunday Recommendations list and rewards for recurring support: details here.