2 comments about The Lord of the Rings Poster Collection 2.

1. In the world of Tolkien artwork, two artists sit at the top of the heap: Alan Lee and John Howe. These two artists have devoted a lot of ink to sketching scenes from J.R.R. Tolkien's masterworks, and in the "Lord of the Rings Poster Collection 2," we get to see some of Lee's best work.
   
   "The Halls of Moria" is one of the most stirring pieces of artwork -- an enormous dark hall full of pillars and vaulted ceilings, with a beam of light shining over the Fellowship. "Tol Brandir" shows a tangle of leafless branches, mossy rocks and stone steps. And then there's the "Golden Hall," a beautiful landscape crowned by a hill, on top of which is Theoden's home. Lee's painted clouds look as if they are glowing.
   
   "Orthanc" shifts the focus to grimmer subjects -- Saruman's stronghold is immense, menacing, vaguely insectile with its black shiny look. And, of course, it's surrounded by floodwater. "The Siege of Gondor" is tightly packed with grinning, creepy orcs with spears, and a few human warriors, one of whom is dead. And "Two Orcs" has a pair of suitably creepy-looking orcs, not doing much.
   
   Of the two poster collections of Lee's work, the second is obviously superior. We get a range of subjects, from all three books, and it shows the different kinds of artwork that Lee can do. The posters themselves are lovely -- high quality paper, clear reproduction. As for the pictures themselves....
   
   Alan Lee does "still work" the best -- even when his subjects are in motion, they look very quiet and almost dreamlike. There's a lot of detail poured into these, since even small twigs, cracks and stains make their way into his artwork. They also tend to have muted, faded colours, lots of soft greys, browns and greens. Some of them look like sepia photographs.
   
   Looking at these beautiful posters, it's easy to see why Lee was one of the designers for the "Lord of the Rings" movies' exquisite sets. A wonderful collection of fantasy artwork.



2. This collection features six works of Alan Lee who, along with John Howe, was one of the principle conceptual artists for Peter Jackson's films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".
   
   The six works featured in this collection are:
   
   1. The Mines of Moria
   2. Tol Brandir
   3. The Golden Hall
   4. Orthanc
   5. The Siege of Gondor
   6. Two Orcs in the Land of Shadow
   
   The six works are large, stand alone posters on heavy stock contained within an attractive folder featuring "Orthanc" on the front cover. The prints--the originals were done in watercolor--have a black border with the name of the work and the artist at the bottom in small print.
   
   These prints are an excellent addition to any Tolkien fan's collection.

No comments about John Wayne Movie Posters At Auction: Illustrated History Of Movies Through Posters (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters).

No comments about The Hobbit Poster Collection: Six Paintings by Alan Lee.

No comments about Drive-In Movie Posters: Illustrated History of Movies (Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters Series, 18).

No comments about Old Advertisements and Popular Culture: Posters, Calendars and Cigarettes, 1900-1950 (Arts of China).

2 comments about Science Fiction Poster Art.

1. Color reproductions from science fiction posters pack a gorgeous presentation which focuses as much on the background history and talents of the artists themselves as on the works. Tony Nourmand is co-owner of a poster gallery in London and a poster consultant for Christie's; Graham Marsh is a designer and art director: their joint efforts here pack genre history with full-page poster reproductions in living color. A highly recommended visual treat.



2. Great Book, great quality printing and lots of amazing rare posters that I've never knew it existed.

No comments about Anime Poster Art: Japan's Movie House Masterpieces.

3 comments about War Movie Posters: Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters.

1. This is arguably the finest entry in the Bruce Hershenson published series of film genre graphics books. Though all of his volumes are impeccable in style and presentation, this book approaches film advertising illustration not only as art, but as world history. Instead of compiling war film posters in order of their release year, they are here presented chronologically by the time of the actual war itself, adding profound depths of sociological and psychological perspective to the long sad history of hell on Earth. I write this review not for all the film buffs out there or poster collectors or illustrators, but to historians, to all teachers and students of the human journey. Here, from flag waving to burning, are the images of war as hope, promise, necessity, waste and despair. More than the films themselves with all their shooting and shouting, these posters silently command and provoke our senses all the way to the last shreds of wonder.



2. This is the eighth book of Movie Posters that I have purchased from Bruce Hershenson and each time I remark on the extremely high quality of the reproductions. This is obviously a job done from the heart but the visual aspects of the book strikes something in the sub-conscious and suddenly you are back in some cinema watching that movie again. More than just a coffee-table book but a reference source and one to take to work and get a discussion going as an alternative to football. A great read and highly recommended.



3. Bruce has done it again. In one book he has included the best and most graphically appealing posters from the greatest WAR movies of all times. Not only does he have the U.S. posters but many times he has selected the foreign poster that has better graphics. When you view this book you will be "transported" back to the films that you loved. I had forgotten about many of the great WWII films that I saw as a kid until seeing Bruce's book. How will he top this??

5 comments about Alphonse Mucha: An American Collection (Vignettes).

1. This is a VERY small book, smaller than a cd case. The illustrations are great and it gives a very general overview of Mucha's life. I purchased this book as a reference for a report on Mucha for a college level class and it was definitely not very useful for that purpose.The author does not cite any resources for the information in the book and other than looking good on the bookshelf it was not worth the price.



2. I run enrichment programs for school age children and this book along with the other books in the Vignette series from the Collector's Press have been terrific in introducing kids to great artists. This book does a great job of chronicling Mucha's life and career. I highly recommend it as an introduction to Art Nouveau and Alphonse Mucha.



3. I found this book to be a great addition to my library of art nouveau reference books. It is small and concise. The author obviously loves his subject matter. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in an overview of Mucha's work in a quick read.



4. Don't even bother. There is a magnificent book published by Art Services Inc. in association with Yale University which, after years of searching, is the definitive book on Alphonse Mucha. "Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau", 1998, by Victor Arwas,Jana Brabcova- Orlikova and Anna Dvorak. Costs more $$, but you're really getting something! Exquisite! Text and great color pieces. A treasure.



5. Don't even bother. There is a magnificent book published by Art Services Inc. in association with Yale University which, after years of searching, is the definitive book on Alphonse Mucha. "Alphonse Mucha: The Spirit of Art Nouveau", 1998, by Victor Arwas,Jana Brabcova- Orlikova and Anna Dvorak. Costs more $$, but you're really getting something! Exquisite! Text and great color pieces. A treasure.

1 comments about Typo China (Poster Collection).

1. Each Chinese character looks like the pictograph that describes its meaning such as moon, sun, tree or human. When these characters combine with images in posters, they become interesting and effective messages that convey to audiences.