Customer Reviews

Hardyware: The Art of David A. Hardy (Paper Tiger)

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

 

 

This super book contains well over a hundred examples of the work of perhaps our best living space artist, along with a fascinating text full of insights into his thinking and his modus operandi.

One issue that I grapple with frequently is the difference between "art" and "illustration". In the world of fine art illustrators are generally looked on as an inferior breed by the critics. In his introduction to "Hardyware" David A. Hardy expresses his reproof at modern art's derision of anything beautiful or representational.

This got me thinking. If SF art is "mere illustration" as an art critic would say, what about all those historical paintings of heaven and hell, the last judgement and armageddon? Critics seem to love those.

But I digress. SF art does have its place, and it plays an important role. The main body of "Hardyware" gives us a glimpse of the possibilties that await us in the future. If things turn out properly and we don't destroy ourselves, our descendents will become great builders with the potential to conquer the stars. Most of the artwork in this collection is done in gouache and acrylic, although more recently the artist has turned to digital media.

We see visions of the past as well as the future. One of my favourite pieces is a scene from "The War of the Worlds". I remember seeing that image on a cover jacket when I was 12, although I didn't know who the artist was back then. The image of a dinosaur looking up at a descending asteroid is hauntingly grim.

I often think SF artists are underrated. Though they are often proved wrong, their visions provide a valuable contribution to the development of our civilization, giving inspiration to those who have the ability to make fantasy a reality.

Not just an art book, as the full page images and 2-page spreads together, represent less than 40% of the 128 pages.
Perfect for someone not just interested in art, but also in Hardy's career.

SPECIFICS:
Page Count: 128
Number of images: 112
Small images: 38
Half page images: 39
Full page images: 20
2-page spreads: 15
BW images: 7

TEXT:
Foreword: 2 pages
Introduction: 2 pages
Checklist of books by the artist / Acknowledgements: 1 page
Index of works: 2 pages
The book has 5 chapters, which detail the artist career in the field from the 1950's to the end of the 20th century: 33 pages
Title, year, medium used and short comment for each piece

ART:
0 images: 5 stars
39 images: 4 stars
63 images: 3 stars
8 images: 2 stars
2 images: 1 star


Overall: 3,5 Stars



Note: thumbnails were left out of the rating