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Fantasy

9,671 artworks, 1,887 artists
Fantasy is a genre of literature and fine art; it is similar to science fiction. The artists working in this style use in their artworks the motives of long-distance movements in space and time, alien worlds, artificial organisms, the mythology of ancient civilizations. In the visual arts, artists often combine fantasy elements with abstractionism, surrealism and realism. This trend reflects a person’s craving for a colorful world of parallel universes, and by following the picture subjects, a viewer can plunge into magical and fascinating worlds. Fantasy artworks are the fairy tales for adults. They distract from grey everyday life and everyday problems, they warm with a nostalgic longing for childhood and the naive period, they call to a fascinating world where good overcomes evil.

The fantasy style is rooted in national folklore, pagan beliefs and ancient myths. The foundation of the genre development was laid by the romanticism in the European literature of the eighteenth century, when writers revived the heroes of the past. Noble and brave knights fought dragons and sorcerers, defended the poor and offended, won the hearts of young beauties. Artists illustrated the literary works by recreating the fairy tales on canvas and paper. The art of fantasy became part of the popular culture in the middle of the 20th century through development of printing and cinema, and it gained the popularity among the viewers of all ages. The 21st century, the heyday of video games and the digital industry, has expanded and enriched traditional painting techniques, transferred magical inhabitants from the flat world of paintings to the virtual world.

The fantasy artists’ canvases attract the eye with the vivid expressive images, a rich color and shade palette; they captivate a viewer with the magical dynamic subjects. Picturesque fairy tales introduce the literary scenes, portraits and landscapes where the fictional subjects intermingle with the real ones. Artists depict bodies half-naked or in luxurious outfits and armor, they embody the heroes of fairy-tales or alien fauna on their canvases, they combine terrestrial landscapes and space objects. The artists who work in the fantasy genre often use oil and acrylic paints, while the less popular media are ink, gouache and watercolor. The artists fill the pictures with symbolism and carefully think through the details, composition, the play of light and shadow, as they strive to convince a viewer of the fantasy reality. The fantasy images are reminiscent of an old epic with a florid, colorful, exaggeratedly emotional presentation that combines folklore and the painter’s imagination.

The most famous fantasy paintings:
Seed Will Not Germinate”, “Black Tinkerbell”, “Past Future” by Luis Royo; “Goldfish” 2001 Michael Whelan; “The Endless Knot”, “The Sword in the Stone” by Rodney Matthews; “Holding Back” 1995, “World without Meaning” 2005 Boris Vallejo.

The most famous fantasy artists:
Luis Ricardo Falero, Boris Vallejo, Luis Royo, Julia Bell, Frank Frazetta, Gerald Brom, Peter Andrew Jones.
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