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.