The Telling Line: Essays on Fifteen Contemporary Illustrators by Douglas Martin, discussing children’s book illustrators including Michael Foreman and the late Charles Keeping (Delacorte).
The Art of the Fantastic: Latin America 1920-1987, a beautiful, thorough collection, text by Holliday T. Day and Hollister Sturges (Indianapolis Museum of Art).
Leonora Carrington: The Mexico Years (1943-1895), my personal favorite of the year’s art books, a slim but lovely edition of the enchanted, fantastical paintings by a woman whose works are too little known (The Mexico Museum in San Francisco, distributed by the University of New Mexico Press).
Anxious Visions: Surrealist Art, lavishly illustrated, with excellent text by Sidea Stitch (Abbeville Press).
The Symbolist Generation: 1870-1910, a fine overview of this era with Rizzoli’s usual high quality of art reproduction; text by Pierre-Louis Mathieu (Rizzoli).
Holly Roberts, a collection of the vibrant, mystical works of this contemporary artist who combines oil paint and silverprint photographs. The book is beautifully produced, but it does not quite capture the luminous quality of the work itself. (The Friends of Photography Press, The Ansel Adams Center, San Francisco).
The Aeneid of Virgil, a new translation by Edward McCrorie and art by Luis Ferreira (Donald M. Grant).
The Arthurian Book of Days, an art book with more than seventy medieval illustrations, text by John and Caitlin Matthews (Macmillan).
Berni Wrightson: A Look Back, an interesting, thorough collection of this American artist’s work (reprinted by Underwood-Miller from a 1979 edition).
Necronomicon by H. R. Giger, a reprint of the original lavish edition of bizarre paintings by this European artist, with an introduction by horror writer Clive Barker (Morpheus International).
The Rodney Mathews Portfolio, The Bruce Pennington Portfolio, Mark Harrison’s Dreamlands, and The Chris Foss Portfolio: these are nicely produced collections of art by British book and record album illustrators, primarily science fiction-related but possibly of interest to fantasy enthusiasts too (Paper Tiger).
Fantasy cover art that stood out from the rest on the shelves in 1991:
Dave McKean’s modernistic montage for Outside the Dog Museum (by Jonathan Carroll/Macdonald UK). Leo and Diane Dillon’s distinctive and decorative work for Juniper (by Monica Furlong/Knopf). Trina Schart Hyman for charming work on Wizard’s Hall (by Jane Yolen/HBJ). Jody Lee’s sumptuous, well-designed work for The Winds of Fate (by Mercedes Lackey/DAW). Heather Cooper’s rich painting for The Black Unicom (by Tanith Lee/Atheneum) and John Collier’s for The Sleep of Stone (by Louise Cooper/Atheneum)—both part of Byron Preiss’ beautifully packaged Dragonflight series. Bruce Jensen for the design of The Ultimate Werewolf, The Ultimate Dracula and The Ultimate Frankenstein (Dell)—another Byron Preiss package. Robert Gould’s stunning new Elric painting and design work on Revenge of the Rose (by Michael Moorcock/Grafton and Ace). Dennis Nolan’s elegant portraiture and design for Sadar’s Keep (by Midori Snyder/Tor). Thomas Canty’s painting and gorgeous design work on A Whisper of Blood (by Ellen Datlow/Morrow). Arnie Fenner’s distinctive design work for Mark V. Ziesing Books. Michael Whelan’s evocative painting for The Summer Queen (by Joan D. Vinge/Warner). Rick Berry’s painterly portraiture for Phoenix Guards (by Steven Brust/Tor). Gerry Grace’s lovely painting for Strands of Starlight (by Gael Baudino/ Orbit UK). Raquel Jarmillo’s pre-Raphaelite-dnfluenced jacket painting for Sarah Canary (by Karen Joy Fowler/Holt). And Mel Odom’s shimmering Tigana (by Guy Gavriel Kay/Roc). We are indebted to these and many other cover illustrators for laboring within commercial publishing constraints to bring artistic vision into the fantasy field.
British artist and moviemaker Brian Froud brought splendid new works-inprogress to the Tucson World Fantasy Convention (making a rare convention appearance to support his Faerieland series for Bantam Books) which confirmed his place as one of the finest painters of magical works of our time. Charles Vess, David Cherry, Dawn Wilson, Don Maitz, Janny Wurts and Artist Guest of Honor Arlin Robins were among the other artists on hand for that event. Janny Wurts won Best of Show in the convention exhibition; Dave McKean won the World Fantasy Award for Best Artist of 1990; and Charles Vess shared the World Fantasy Award for Best Short Story in 1990 with Neil Gaiman for their comic book A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Traditional folk music is of special interest to many fantasy readers because the old ballads, particularly in the English, Irish and Scots folk traditions, are often based on the same folk and fairy tale roots as fantasy fiction. And the current generation of worldbeat musicians, like contemporary fantasy writers, are taking ancient, traditional rhythms and themes and adapting them to a modern age. (New listeners might try Flight of the Green Linnet: Celtic Music, the Next Generation as an introduction to the music. Or, if you prefer music with a rock or punk edge to it, I’d suggest starting off with a worldbeat band like Boiled in Lead.)
Ireland’s De Dannan has released 1/2 Set in Harlem, mixing traditional Irish tunes with Klezmer influences and Gospel songs; De Dannan’s A Jacket of Batteries is also finally available in America. Canada’s wild instrumental band Rare Air, billed as “nouveau Celtic pop funk jazz,” has released Space Piper—although, as always, they are truly best heard live to appreciate the magic they weave. Minneapolis band Boiled in Lead beats Rare Air for wildness, and their release Orb is highly recommended, containing a lively variety of ballads and world beat “rock-and-reel.” Scotland’s Hamish Moore and Dick Lee have released The Bees Knees, a mix of Highland pipes, soprano sax, Celtic and jazz influences, virtuoso musicianship and humor. Pentangle, complete with the gorgeous guitar of Bert Jansch and the haunting voice of Jackie McShee but sans founding member John Ren-bourn, has released Think of Tomorrow. Andrew Cronshaw has produced Circle Dance, a charity collection with terrific material from Richard Thompson, June Tabor, Fairport Convention, the late Sandy Denny, and others. Cronshaw’s own latest release, Till the Beasts’ Returning, is not so shabby either, featuring enchanted instrumental music on the electric zither, flutes and strings and with one song by June Tabor.
Milladoiro, a band dedicated to Galacian music (the Celtic music of Spain) has released Castellum Honestic, mixing Galacian melodies with the feel of medieval music and a touch of jazz. Montreal’s Ad Vielle Que Pourra’s new Come What May ranges from Breton music to medieval to cajun. Scotland’s amazing Capercaillie, with Karen Matheson’s haunting vocals, has released Crosswinds. Australia’s excellent Not Drowning, Waving, mixing jazz and moody rock with Celtic and Australian Aboriginal rhythms, has released The Little Desert in this country. Guitarist Mazlyn Jones, from a remote area of Cornwall, has released Mazlyn Jones, aptly described by one reviewer as “a mystic carpet ride,” drawing on images of the natural world and the fantastic. From Wales, Delyth Evan’s Music for the Celtic Harp has no surprises but is beautiful listening; also from Wales, Clennig has released Dwr Gian, a mixture of old Welsh songs and dances with Breton and Galacian music. Gwerziou & Soniou by Yann Fanch Kemener contains ten unaccompanied songs in Breton—songs of war, love, religious stories and the supernatural.