J. R. TOLIKEN (Lord of Rings) and Grim Brothers take references from the real world and create fantastic stories which best portray in Fantasy Art.

Fantasy Art is a well painted visual story for evoking feelings. Artwork is a compliment of the stories, as a visual representation reflecting our imagination.

Fantasy is a fuel for creativity. Everybody has a different opinion about result of any art creation or its purpose. Some may understand a pic and said it is beautiful or some roughly thought, it is unpleasant. But we all like art works in one way or another.

Female representation in art goes back to the times when human being was dwelling in caves and reflected in works on these walls. Human desire to express, has been the key reason why we find these paintings, visually depicting everyday life and its stories which centre around Birth, Death and Survival.

Looking at them, we find that these women figures cut across continents only some of the flora and fauna and yet human depiction remain constant. As paintings evolved, we find representation of the female figure undergoing changes with element of beauty, voluptuousness and sensuality, findings acceptance in the celebration of human race.

From the Indian perspective, we find this growth by looking at works from Bhimbetka Caves (Madhya Pradesh), Edakal Caves (Kerala) and Fresco and Murals of Ajanta and Ellora.

It is these, that formed, further, progress of thought, technique, and skill for future artists in visual representation of not only paintings but sculptures too.

In the sculpture’s figurine, we see key feminine physical representation with clarity. We find on study of these paintings’ sculptures that beauty emerges as a central theme of these piece of works. It also moved from mere representation, religious representation to a domain where beauty existed for its own sakes. Hence also bringing, human emotion and desire for things beautiful, which is the material for creating Fantasy Art.

Figure 1 Alok Kumar. Portrait of a lady: College Memories Series. Watercolour on Paper. 8” X 12”. Personal Collection. Delhi

 

2. We Depict women figures in five categories

GODDESS: we have Goddess images represented in diaphanous clothes, laying emphasis on form, and reflecting fertility in many cultures. The common form being of Mother Goddess or Earth Goddess.

In India, we have goddess figures which are beautifully sculpted tastefully painted and adorning in beautiful jewellery. All Devi Figures are part of this group.

WARRIOR:  we have a skinny and unpractical body Armor, most images we see in Manga and Japanese animation from 19^h century starting.

In Indian temple sculptures and paintings, we find the goddess accompanied by warrior female companions which also could be Yakshani’s.

PRIMITIVE: we have stories in forest and tribes, where we see women wearing minimal clothing because of the nature of their profession and environment. We see this type of women figure in the cover page of 1960 fantasy magazine and in the recent years Marvel movie characters named Mystic is an example of this genre.

PRINCESS: Wearing clothes with multiple layering emphasizing counters are the figures, we usually see in this category. Indian Princess Greek Figurines and Walt Disney female characters, Barbies dolls for young girls, are some of the best examples.

WITCH:  Magical Creature Portraying / Signified Negative characters with minimalistic clothes are usually an important part of most fantasy stories in western cultures including movies like Van Helsing movie character, She Hulk in Marvel comics and movies are some of the examples.

These categories have celebrated the feminine form, sensuality and evoking diverse feeling in the voyeurs from Love to Lust and the in Between.

 

3. Women figures From Artist Perspective

Figure 2 Pino Daeni (November 8, 1939 – May 25, 2010), Thinking of You (Painting), Oil on Canvas Source https://pino-artist.com/Pino Daeni | Romantic book illustrator | Tutt'Art@ | Pittura • Scultura ... tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com|1281

 

Figure 3 Marta Dahlig (Born: 23 December 1985) Lust (Digital Art) Source https://www.deviantart.com/dahlig Marta Dahlig | Digital painting, Fantasy, Dark art, Courtesy:  Pinterest.

 

There are three different thought schools in the art world:

First school of thought is Realism, which believe art is a representation of reality and it must paint as it is. In this thought of school all 18^th century Great artists falls. They paint women figure realistically in their paintings. Some of them are Aaron Coberly, Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849-1921), Addison Thomas Millar, Albert Joseph Moore (1841-1893), Annibale Carracci (1560-1609).

Second school of thought which believe that art is a representation of beauty, and we paint nature in its beautiful form. We identify them in and as Idealism. Artists like Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Edvard Munch (1863-1944), Jack Vettriano is some of the famous names.

There is another (Third) school of thought which think artwork is part of sell and in this Commercial world, we sell art, as a need for survival. Artists Like Julie Bell, Boris Vallejio, Marta Dahlig, Frank Frazetta, Pino Daeni is some of the famous names.

We the artist are also social people and need boarding and lodging, many for survival and cannot exist in vacuumed.  With creating fantasy art, we sell our work and it purely, is a commercial artwork, where we create work, some time with our urge to create beautiful figure or some time on demand. There is nothing wrong to be a commercial and popular in the artist world. More popular we are, more priced our work is!

This is a simple economic reality, but we also create which may not cell but are off no lesser value.

 

 

4. Examples of Western and Indian artists with their creations

Figure 4 Boris Vallejo (Jan 08, 1941 (age 81) · Lima, Peru) Boris-Vallejo-000001 Source https://thegallerist.art/boris-vallejo/Boris Vallejo and His Great Fantasy Art + Bay Rum BorisJulie_com a_files

 

Figure 5 Jackvettriano, Exit Eaden (Love, Devotion and Surrender) (Painting)Oil on Canvas Courtesy jackvettriano.com Source https://www.jackvettriano.com/

 

While many may wonder on my focus of artist in the western world, I would like to bring forth some of the Indian artist who have used the female subject in distinctive form and bringing out all the subtle nuances and celebrating the feminine.

Figure 6 Raja Ravi Verma Apr 29, 1848 - Oct 02, 1906 (age 58) Sarswati Oil on Canvas Sources: https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=LWiV0Bsi&id=333D410755F2E9209C6E1E758D73CD6395CE9B9E&thid=OIP.LWiV0BsiCrpt0tIQiH-HoQHaLw&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fth.bing.com%2fth%2fid%2fR.2d6895d01b220aba6dd2d210887f87a1%3frik%3dnpvOlWPNc411Hg%26riu%3dhttp%253a%252f%252f4.bp.blogspot.com%252f-XiNwLYbqa-A%252fUssFZEqE0-I%252fAAAAAAAA9NI%252fX46kcgMjA1Y%252fs1600%252fravi-varma-paintings%2540fineartandyou5.jpg%26ehk%3dJLfXWNy0jHBXF4yOA8E2yGoOFPMt%252bGe%252fQ8v5ogZzmhU%253d%26risl%3d%26pid%3dImgRaw%26r%3d0&exph=952&expw=600&q=raja+ravi+varma+paintings&simid=608048853993550003&FORM=IRPRST&ck=6A933B597D989B30FCCF7266EE45D008&selectedIndex=53&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

 

 

Figure 7  John Fernandes in My World, Watercolour on Paper Source: https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&ccid=N2SU3XhS&id=6EF3CA61F65F217C91799B6429D3E3B2667187EE&thid=OIP.N2SU3XhSer1xn40tYNwmXwAAAA&mediaurl=https%3a%2f%2fi.pinimg.com%2foriginals%2f9a%2f54%2f2c%2f9a542c7b04696d619c9cd5e8ad4c308d.jpg&exph=550&expw=348&q=john+fernandes+indian+painter.&simid=607999333025084355&FORM=IRPRST&ck=CBC23CB7776426CDE011FB6C00C8A017&selectedIndex=16&qpvt=john+fernandes+indian+painter.&ajaxhist=0&ajaxserp=0

 

5. Why I choose this topic

As an illustrator and book designer, when I start my art profession, a lady from an established publishing house hint me, “Alok if you want to be a successful painter or illustrator you should work on face and body language specially Women figure and their different moods. If you successfully portray female figure, your chance of success maximizes as compared to other fellow artists.”

This piece of advice helps me to think and keeps me motivated and is the reason I choose this topic. Her suggestion helped me a lot.

Many artists paint women in many forms but a beautiful, attractive women figure always gets extra marks and support in the creative circle.

Artists like Raja Ravi Verma, John Fernandes, M F Hussain, Boris Vallejo, Jack Vettriano, and Pino are the time less women figure artists. Their images are references for future artists in their endeavours to become successful.

 

RefErences

Besson, A. (2020). From the Pre-Raphaelites to the Comics : Illustrating the Imaginative.

Vallejo, B. and Bell, J. (2020, February 3).

Bruce, R. (1988). Techniques of Fantasy Art. First Edition. Macdonald and (Co) Publishers Ltd. London and Sydney.

Charles, M. (2008). The History of Fantasy Art.

Clute, J. (2021).

Fantastic art (2020). In Wikipedia.

Fantasy Artist Genius Guide. (2014). Imagine Publishing Ltd. 2, ISBN – 978-1910155356.

Indian painting (2020). In Wikipedia.

Vettriano, J. (2020).

Clute, J. and Grant, J. (1997). Encyclopedia of Fantasy. United Kingdom. (First Edition)

Loomis, W. A. (1947). (Jun 15, 1892 - May 25, 1959 (age 66). The eye of the painter. The Viking Press. New York.

Loomis, W. A. (1947). (Jun 15, 1892 - May 25, 1959). Figure Drawing for All its Worth. The Viking Press. New York.

Marta, D. (2020).

National Museum Catalogue (1993). New Delhi. Raja Ravi Varma : New Perspectives.

Robinson : Art Curator and Art Critic, Mentor.

William, A. R (2011). Drawing - The Complete Course. American Artist.

Author Note :

I have made a study of the books mentioned in my references and have not used any line as it is from there but used the understanding gained from thereon and hence it is not possible to add/create what does not exist.

All reference materials in this article have been used by me not as sentence or word by word, or/ and quoted from and has been using the zist of these articles. I am indebted to these authors for shaping my article.

Sign.

Alok Kumar