Tolkien, the Artist

[Estelyn Telcontar]

When we speak of "Tolkien's works", we almost invariably mean his books. They are pure genius, of course, but he was also gifted in another creative field - painting and drawing! He illustrated many of his writings, drew detailed maps of Middle-earth, devised calligraphic scripts for his invented languages, and created heraldic devices for a number of his characters. I'm just now discovering how rich his artistic work is; the book J.R.R. Tolkien: Artist and Illustrator, by Wayne Hammond and Christina Scull, published by Houghton Mifflin, is an excellent source for this neglected subject. Since we have not yet had a thread devoted exclusively to JRRT's artwork, I'd like to discuss it here.

Where to start? Some of us are familiar with his paintings from our books - my boxed paperback edition (1973) of Hobbit and LotR has one on each of the four book covers plus some of his heraldic devices on the red box. Some of his drawings are integrated into the story - like the door of Moria and the maps. There may be online sources that show more of his art; we can share those if possible without violating copyright laws. I'd like to proceed as the book does, beginning with his early works of art and sharing some of the information with those who do not have access to this great book.

He learned to paint and draw from his mother, Mabel Tolkien, who is said to have been a capable artist. His love of nature went hand in hand with art, and most of his paintings are of landscapes, real or imagined. Since I am particularly interested in the artwork of the Arts and Crafts movement (Art Nouveau), I noticed the similarity of his style, one that works beautifully for the Elves especially, since it combines elegance and natural subjects. (The movie's design team did an excellent job of using this style for Rivendell and Lothlórien!)

It only occurred to me last year, when I was in Birmingham's museum to see the Pre-Raphaelite paintings, which are closely linked to the Arts and Crafts movement, that this was the city of Tolkien's youth, and the time which must have influenced him strongly. Hammond and Scull agree with my opinion (Isn't it nice when you find out that your thoughts are affirmed by the experts?! ) and give examples for the Arts and Crafts influence in both his artwork and his writings.

It seems clear, too, that he agreed with the underlying philosophy of Morris and his followers, which looked back to a much earlier time: that the 'lesser' arts of handicraft embodied truth and beauty no less than the 'fine' arts of painting and sculpture. One looks for the latter almost in vain in Tolkien's writings (Leaf by Niggle excepted), but finds a wealth of references to crafts. (P. 10)

Art nouveau was an important ingredient in his Cauldron, though "his art cannot be neatly classified. He tried on different styles, but most did not suit him and appear in his work only once or twice." (P. 11) His early drawings and paintings are of houses and landscapes in England; this period goes up to 1914, after which his art depicts his fantasy world(s) and illustrates his own stories.

Who has the book and is interested in comparing impressions of Tolkien's early artwork? When we move on, I'm sure more of you will encounter familiar pictures and be able to discuss them with us.

[Aiwendil]

Great idea for a thread, Estelyn! I got this book for Christmas last year and thoroughly enjoyed it - far more than I expected.

Art nouveau was an important ingredient in his Cauldron, though "his art cannot be neatly classified. He tried on different styles, but most did not suit him and appear in his work only once or twice." (P. 11)

I find Tolkien's stylistic variety interesting. He seems to me not to have shown the same interest in the antique in his visual artwork as in his writing - I found many of the images surprisingly modern.

Among his earlier (chapter 1) works, some strike me as rather impressionistic - for instance, no. 17 ("Foxglove Year") and no. 18 ("The Cottage, Barnt Green"). It's interesting to compare these with no. 29, "Summer in Kerry", another landscape that could be described as impressionistic, but one from much later. The earlier ones are far more complex and detailed; the later one reduces the palette to little more than a single hue and takes away almost all detail. If I may dare to make a comparison, "Summer in Kerry" rather reminds me of Monet's "Impression Sunrise".

[Encaitare]

The Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien.

You may get a pop-up when you click asking you for a password (I do, for some reason, anyway). It is, quite appropriately, tolkien.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Encaitare,

Are you sure about that password? I tried Tolkien and it kept heaving me out....

Child

EDIT: P. S. My poor, tired brain finally got it. The password and user name are the same...

************************

Great topic, Esty! I have that book, and it is one of my favorites. A number of the old calendars and posters also have drawings by Tolkien, if anyone collects them.

[Lalwendë]

I think it is clear that Tolkien was not a professional visual artist as his work does cover so many styles and forms, but this is in no way a criticism, as he was certainly a highly accomplished artist, much more accomplished than most of us could ever hope to be (speaking for myself ). I'm often deeply impressed by the level of detail he managed to get into his illustrations and these certainly have a distinguished style - it is possible to identify his work. Yet, like a professional, he did utilise different styles according to the purpose of the work. The illustrations for his Father Christmas Letters are very distinct from those he created for The Hobbit, for example.

I often think just how modern his illustrations are, as Aiwendil has already mentioned. His illustrations make great use of geometric forms, cross-hatching and bold shapes. The shapes used in the trees in the picture Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raft-elves (if the link works ) is remarkably similar to the bold style used by Clarice Cliff . I think the use of bold shapes was quite common during this period, and I like to think that Tolkien did get some influence from professional artists (and artisans).

It is also possible to see a slight influence of Japanese art in his work, whether intentioned or not I could not say, but many of his mountains remind me of Japanese artwork of Mount Fuji.

Great website, Encaitare!

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thanks for the good replies so far! I'm glad to see that others are interested in this topic and have the same book. That, along with the link Encataire gives, provides us with lots of material for discussion.

Yes, Aiwendil, I too think that the impressionistic style is one that Tolkien obviously liked and found suitable for what he wanted to express. The paintings you mention are watercolour, which tends to look impressionistic anyway.

I remember seeing a website with pictures of Middle-earth calendars, Child; I'll have to find my old bookmark and post the link here. I don't know how many have his own pictures though - quite a few are Hildebrand, Howe, Lee, etc.

Lalwendë, "Bilbo comes to the Huts of the Raftelves" is the painting that is on the cover of my Hobbit book! I really like the stylized trees and landscape there and find the general impression is very close to Art Nouveau. I can see the similarity to some of the Clarice Cliff artwork, as well - thanks for the link! I hadn't thought of the possible Japanese influence, but there are definite similarities!

[Bêthberry]

Wonderful idea for a discussion, Esty! I remember years ago pouring over Tolkien's paintings and drawings looking for something I could use as an avatar for my RPG character. I didn't find an avatar (back then I lacked the expertise to be able to photoshop something), but I did pass several enjoyable hours.

I don't have the Harmmound and Scull book, so I will be dependant upon you to quote from it. Perhaps this question is a bit premature, as you want to move through the book's ideas slowly, but I was wondering if any of the famous illustrators of Tolkien's written work have acknowledged any inspiration from Tolkien's paintings? Did his own efforts to illustrate his work inspire the other artists or was it simply his prose which stimulated their creative work?

[littlemanpoet]

I was enjoying the new avatar of bilbo_baggins, which is the painting by JRRT of the entrance to Bag End, looking from inside, out. It's a very appealing and inviting piece of art; what struck me about it was first, the symmetry, and second, a hint of yin/yang in the line of the Hill as seen to the left outside the door. Is there something to be made of that? Or am I just bringing something in from the primary world that doesn't belong?

[bilbo_baggins]

I thought it would be prudent to show off the avatar you're speaking of...

I can't really guess if he wanted in yin/yang sort of thing in it or not.

I get as many Tolkien calendars as possible, and the one I have currently has the Fangorn Forest sketch for May. I highly enjoy all of Tolkien's artworks. Just seeing all the people and places come to life is a gift from the author nothing can replace.

bilbo

[littlemanpoet]

I realize that most of Tolkien's art does not have this characteristic, but the peculair feature of the Shire's round doors and windows, stands out to me because of the above mentioned avatar.

This particular painting by Tolkien, of the front door of Bag End, strikes me as a mandala. Maybe it's not as complex as what a Tibetan monk might create, but the resemblance is there. Anybody know anything about mandalas? I know Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung had their fingers stirring in this pot, and I've read plenty of Jungian interpretations of LotR. Am I just reading it into this painting, or is there something there?

[davem]

Tolkien Mandalas?

There are these 'heraldic devices' for various houses & individuals (in the 'Drawings by Tolkien' section (bottom of page):http://www.arwen-undomiel.com/tolkien/gallery.html

Well ... am I to join in this long list of praise?
Yes, I think Tolkien knew how to handle his pencils and he made quite some nice drawings.
What I do not agree with is the high amount of detail that was mentioned. He drew well enogh to give a quick impression of what he wanted to show. If you really look closely, though, his illustrations sometimes contradict his writings (example: Laketown) and are confusing rather than helpfull for any attempt to make a serious "realistic" approach.
I doubt that we should take the Prof. more serious than he would have, himself. He was not an artist, not a geologist, not an architect nor archeologist; he was a linguist who made some exzessive doodles that some people started to like.

*waiting to get flamed ......*

[littlemanpoet]

I wish I could offer something more worthwhile here, but I possess neither book. However, I've read the Father Christmas book twice (most recently within the last couple years) with great delight.

The pictures are all very colorful and creative. Not cartoonish, but they seem to approach an animated feature in style. I can imagine enjoying an animated feature in this style, although it might suffer in close-ups, which Tolkien seems to avoid, to my recollection.

Wouldn't it be great if some Tolkien loving artists decided to use his style to tell his stories in an animated feature? It probably won't happen in our lifetime, if ever, but it's fun to imagine.

[Bêthberry]

For those who do not have this wonderful book of illustrations or the Father Christmas letters, here are several examples of Tolkien's artwork for his children's letters. I hope these will help stimulate discussion of Tolkien's art. The middle picture represents the stamps which Tolkien drew for some of the envelopes. The last picture represents the belovedly clumsy Polar Bear who features in several drawings.

I know that the usual Barrow Downs rules frown upon the posting of pictures which draw bandwidth and detract from writing, but I would think that in this case, the pictures should be acceptable, especially since the "Crazy Captions" thread appears to be acceptable. If the Admins decide otherwise, of course they will delete this post.

[Estelyn Telcontar]

Thank you, Bêthberry, for posting these pictures! Indeed, on a thread that discusses Tolkien's art, such images are great to give those who don't have the books the possibility of discussing the art with us. It's nice to see some of the elaborate stamps that he drew to go with the letters - each one is different, and each is thematically related to the drawing of that year.

Yes, LMP, your idea of animation strikes me as being very apt - these drawings do have a comic book look to them, at least in part.

More later - another post (CbC) has priority right now...

[Lalwendë]

I have to say, I like the stamp from the North Pole, upper left in the second picture. Why? Because it actually seems to have a pole on it, and as a child I always imagined that the North Pole was exactly that, a big pole sticking out of the ice.

[piosenniel]

Alongside the Father Christmas Letters, Mr. Bliss is one of my favorite children’s books. It’s all written in Tolkien’s crabbed hand and filled with lovely colored pencil drawings.

~*~

Mr. Bliss (he of the many impossibly tall hats) buys a car and goes traveling in it:

In the yellow car with red wheels

~*~

The Girabbit

~*~

The 3 bears

[Naz]

Originally Posted by Estelyn Telcontar

Since I am particularly interested in the artwork of the Arts and Crafts movement (Art Nouveau), I noticed the similarity of his style, one that works beautifully for the Elves especially, since it combines elegance and natural subjects. (The movie's design team did an excellent job of using this style for Rivendell and Lothlórien!)

Interestingly enough, in reading The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook, Alan Lee does mention something about using ideas from Art Nouveau in the styles used for the Elves, but especially in Rivendell, I think.

And I really like the Father Christmas illustrations. Especially the one with the polar bear (I forget his name...) falling down the stairs.