Interesting interview with Alan Lee

[Lairënuriel]

Interview snippet:
Q: I've read that some people do not consider book illustrations to be art, since they serve a purpose outside of pure creation. Do you consider yourself an artist, an illustrator or more, like J.R.R. Tolkien himself, as a narrator of the tales of Middle-earth, not in words but in images, drawings and paintings?

I think of myself as an… I think of what I do as illustration, because that is what it is. It is always connected with a text or with a story, and is going to be printed. The finished product is the actual printed image on a page. I’m not free to do whatever I like stylistically, since my work is going to be wedded to the words. The responsibility is to help to tell the story, without interfering with the readers’ imagination. In a way it is a bit more akin to a sets designer or to providing music for a film. You are serving the text and you are serving the story. So that’s what I do. I’m an illustrator. But I think you have to be an artist to be able to do that as effectively I can

I think anyone that creates something is an artist.

Here is the link to the entire article:
http://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/823-Interview_with_Alan_Lee.php

[Beren One-Hand]

Lauren, I love the picture and the interview, but the picture is from The Children of Hurin.  It is of Doriath, the kingdom of Thingol, and that is Beleg the elf (friend of Turin) crossing the bridge there and leaving the elven kingdom.  I think this topic should be in The Children of Hurin and not in Lord of the Rings.  Maybe you can remove it and recreate it within the Children of Hurin, or just pick another picture from Alan Lee that fits into the trilogy.   

[Lairënuriel]

I know it is from Children of Hurin, and that he does discuss how his artwork has evolved and changed especially in the Children of Hurin.  I posted this at 5:30 in the morning, and just  assumed on quick glance that "The Books" meant ALL the books, not just the trilogy. I still think that this article spans all of the works that Alan Lee has provided artwork for and therefore maybe the general discussion category might be a better spot.

[Beren One-Hand]

Fair enough.  But the "Books" category is a sub-category under the "Lord of the Rings" board.  If the overall article spans the complete works of Tolkien moreso, then this is a good spot for it too.   

[Lairënuriel]

I changed the image link