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| Tzeentchii beestmanne by John Blanche |
"Tzeentchii beestmanne - next of mi warband", John titles his latest creation. "north versus south - friedrich, grunwald, rembrant, altdorfer, durer, as opposed to botticelli, raphael, tintoretto, michelangelo - warm rich earth tones instead of blazing blue skies - i try to recreate the rembrandt cow carcuss in mi miniatures, punks instead of busker, vikings and saxons instead of greeks and romans ....", John throws some light in the philosophy of his style.
Tempered violence, vigorous character and coarsed renaissance play a huge part in John's grotesque tableu vivant. These are strong themes and easily over-played, but John manages to keep the package together, merging great creations with these tools of emotions.
Fierce movement, mordant blade and soggy ground reflecting the blood red sky smother the beastman in violence, like if it had born from the beating act of the elements. Naked, hairy and perspering body bring in a nuance of vulgar revivalism. Skulls tie the creation nicely to the macabre universe, where the brainpannes are always a long lasting natural resource to harvest.
In our email exchange John writes and explains to me that it seems like the Northern European culture is raising its head in the scene, inspiring his miniatures too. Maybe that has something to do with the fresh edge that John's latest creations, along with the amazing Yggdrassilium Pilgrimage scenario, posses...
Another neat miniature, fitting in nicely with the caricatured grotesque nature of Tzeentchian daemons. It is truly great to hear some of this thought process and influences. It certainly is an exciting time to be involved in the hobby!
ReplyDeleteAnother great miniature. Mottled leather and grime.
ReplyDeleteI first encountered John's artwork in the "Sorcery" books at the age of nine or ten, and the only other art it strongly reminded me of were paintings by Bosch and Breughel (even though there were no direct visual quotes from the work of either, just a general sense of a grimy and grotesque medieval world). An instant connection without knowing anything about the artist. It's fascinating how cultural and artistic spirit survives down the ages and archetypes persist in appearing again and again, they really do exist outside time in a way.
Love the sense of movement in this piece. The metal of his sword is quite realistic.
ReplyDeleteA truly bizarre freak, very fitting for a tzeentchian beast. As always, very inspiring and a good read
ReplyDeleteLove the blade on this one, great transition from dark to bright, but not too bright so as to fit with the rest of the model.
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Dante