July 13, 2002

Annatar & Ted Naismith
Dave M.

Ok, Annatar, Naismith does produce stunningly accurate representations of Tolkien's world, but he isn't too imaginative - take his paintings in the Silmarillion de-luxe ed. The worst one is the crossing of the Helcaraxe - just a line of eskimos walking over the ice! Are we supposed to believe that the Noldor killed a bunch of Walruses & sat down & sewed themselves fur suits?

Imagine this instead. Close up on the face of an elven mother, holding her baby, wrapped around with the (still bloody) skin of a walrus, the blood smearing her & her child's face & their highly decorated clothes - they have just come from a festival, after all. In the background great mountains of ice crumbling & falling on the fugitives. Then the look on her face - a mingling of horror, loss, confusion, & the realisation that they can never go back to Valinor. This is what I think Alan Lee or John Howe would have done, & I think this is why Peter Jackson chose them rather than Naismith. Anyway, Naismith C*A*N*N*O*T do people!!!!