Customer Reviews

Chiaroscuro (Paper Tiger)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is another collection of Tim White's fantasy art. I also own the other two, "The Science Fiction and Fantasy World of Tim White" and "Mirror of Dreams". "Chiaroscuro" is almost like an amalgamation of the two earlier books, but a few more works have been added. (And some ommitted.)

Tim White's style is certainly distinctive. It's amazing what this man can do with gouache - not as easy a medium to handle as acrylic, there's a lot more risk involved - and the airbrush. His pen and ink drawings show a high level of skill too. The book also includes more of White's preliminary roughs, done with markers, which show the development of an idea before the final work is produced.

The illustrations are stunning. I once bought a second-hand copy of J.G. Ballard's "Hello America" because Tim White had done the cover. It showed a ruinous Chrysler Building rising out of the desert sand, with a snake writhing in the foreground. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the book itself. I bought the novel before I found "Chiaroscuro". That cover illustration is included in this collection, without the author's name and title obscuring it. Tim White is also one of many artists who has done a cover for William Gibson's "Neuromancer".

What seems to be evident in these works is a love of nature. The landscapes are meticulously rendered, and often include every blade of grass and every grain of sand, providing a super-realistic background for aliens, humans, faeries and goblins. Among my favourite pieces are those done for the H.P. Lovecraft books. Even though they are horror works, there seems to be a dark, morbid humour about them.

It would be reasonable to say Tim White's work is on a par with that of Jim Burns, another British illustrator. Tim White's illustrations are an inspiration to me.

This book is well worth the price. Some of his earlier works like the Peace Machine are extremely artistic. Spaceships landing/flying in/over green environments do give beautiful contrasts. He really uses the beauty of mother nature in a very harmonious way along with the machines and creatures; you are able to pay attention to both, nature and subject, simultaneously (I think that you can look at them as complement or contrast).

With today's advances in computer graphics, this man's works still stand out.

a brilliant window through the human soul. Mesmerizing and endlessly entertaining, sensory-altering visuals that reveal an incredible imagination.

SPECIFICS:
Page Count: 144
Number of images: 113
Small images: 18
Half page images: 12
Full page images: 60
2-page spreads: 23
BW images: 8

TEXT:
2 page introduction
4 page biography (with various sketches in thumbnail size)
Some paintings have a small paragraph about it's theme.
2 page index with the title and year of each painting

ART:
2 images: 5 stars
28 images: 4 stars
64 images: 3 stars
19 images: 2 stars
0 images: 1 star

Overall: 3 stars

The art on pages 47-49 is not rated. It's an excerpt of the author's bw cartoon drawings.

The art on pages 78-83 is not rated. There we can find sketches, text, and 2 full-page finished pieces about the covers for Clive Baker's Weaveworld.

The art on pages 122-123 is not rated. It's about the author's efforts on producing 18-carat jewellery of his design.