Varus-Where are my Legions?

 "Varus"
Anselm Kiefer
1976


As any who have been following my blog know I am a complete history wonk, especially when the history of the world and the history of art collide.  I am always trying to teach students that to understand art you must understand the history behind it.  This September I am reminded of possibly one of the most important events in history and the art inspired by it.

In September 9 ad. the entire three legions of Caeser Augustus' expeditionary force was wiped out by German Tribal Forces in what has come to be known as The Battle of Teutoburg Forest.    Led by general Varus, 20,000 Roman legionnaires were slaughtered and never found.  It is recorded that til the end of his life Augustus would wander the imperial palace muttering "Varus, where are my legions!"


Varus Massacre Scene from "I Claudius" 

 But the history of this battle doesn't end there.  This region would become one of the most fought-over and contested parcels of land in history.  For the next 2000 years hundreds of battles and over a 15 million lives would be lost on this ground only about the size of the State of Massachusetts.

 In 1815 the battle of Waterloo would take place less than 200 miles away between Napoleon's army and Wellington's German allies killing a total of over 30,000 soldiers.

In 1900 a newly unified Greater German Empire under its Kaiser erected a monument on the site of the Teutoburg battle heralding new age of German Nationalism and Teutonic manifest destiny.


By the height of WWI at the Battle of the Argonne Forest and the war of the Western Front would again tear this region apart claiming in some estimates 10 million lives!

 

Battle of the Ardennes Forest from "Band of Brothers"

Only thirty years later this battered ground would be the site of some of the most bitterly fought over land of WWII, as Hitler's counter offensive in the winter of 1944 at the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes forest killing another 50,000 soldiers on both sides.  Some historians have suggested that it was Hitler's strategy to recreate the Battle of Teutoburg Forest and the German victory over a superior invading army that led him to conceive the offensive.


In 1976 when the German artist Alselm Kiefer paints his image "Varus" he is not merely painting a landscape.  He is painting the layers of blood and lives and souls that had died in that forest.  He is painting the hallowed ground where Varus and thousands of ghosts still walk, there names carved into the very forest itself.


When we begin to understand history, we can begin to understand art.


Thank you


WOC

Astolpho and the Hippogriff

Ever since childhood I have been fascinated and enchanted by the heraldry and pageantry of medieval costumes.  Studying medieval and gothic romance literature in college only deepened my love for the aesthetic of knighthood.  The epic poem of Orlando Furioso by Ariostos has been a favorite story of mine for over a decade and from time to time I re-engage with the fable for inspiration.  This image illustrates the paladin Astolpho and the magical hippogriff he rides on his various adventures in that story.

Enjoy.

WOC


Below are a detail and wip image, plus some historical images of the same subject....enjoy.

Wargriffin

Wargriffin is the story of a young girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to join in WWI wit her griffin.  A young adult fantasy-adventure novel.  This was a fun story to illustrate trying to capture the bleakness of the western front with the fantasy of dragons and mythical beasts.  I'm attaching my sketch and mock-up cover for the book.

Enjoy.

WOC

©William O'Connor Studios

Dracopedia Student Art Contest

With the release of Dracopedia:The Great Dragons coming out this month I thought I would celebrate by having an art contest for students. A great opportunity for young artists to get their work seen and win some cool prizes.

Guest Judges are: Lars Grant-West, Dan Dos Santos and Todd Lockwood.

Go to: The Dracopedia Project to join and learn all the details.

WOC

War of the Dragonborn

On May 21st the publisher of the videogame Skyrim filed a trademark request for the word "Dragonborn".

In 2007 I was called out to the Wizards of the Coast D&D offices in Renton Washington to help concept this race and so I feel a particular fondness for the scaly brutes, kind of like a godfather. I remember struggling with the design because it could not have any draconic features (horns, wings, tails, long necks, etc.) and it was looking too much like reptile men.  I finally pulled from more of a cultural context than a visual one.  I thought of a cross between Klingons and the Gorillas from Planet of the Apes, but Dragon-Men!, and the rest drew itself.  I've always liked them, (except for the Boobs.  You try having heated debate  in an office board room on why Dragons don't have breasts, and you realize how surreal this job is.)Also, I conceived that this race would be steeped in ancient tradition and tribal custom.  For that I drew upon an Asian aesthetic to their costuming.  Overlapping scales and plates, with no use of buckles would make them look different and older than the other races.

Both companies have a rightful claim to trademark anything they want.  WotC was there first, but it doesn't possess a trademark, and its likely that Skyrim's trademark will not effect D&D.  If Skyrim's trademark effects D&D then this race will go extinct in 5th Edition. To whoever wins the War of the Dragonborn I wanted to share a few images from their inception during the early development of 4th Edition.  My little dragon babies, they grow up so fast!

Enjoy. (click on images for larger view)

If you have any questions about the concepting of this race, please leave a comment.

WOC

 

 

Artist of the Month-Caspar David Friedrich

"The Abbey in the Oakwood"

1810

oil on canvas.

National Gallery , Berlin

A ny one who has been following my Artist of the Month series will notice a trend.  Its something that I didn't notice it until I looked back over my blogs.  A preference for landscapes.  Corot, Keifer, Sloan, Hasui.  I think this is because I so rarely get commissioned to do landscapes and I have a passion for the outdoors, hiking and all things that grow.  When left to my own devices I prefer to paint landscapes either fantasy or plein aire.  This leads me to the master landscape artist Caspar David Friedrich., (1774-1840).

There are so many excellent landscape painters in history, (Gainsborough, Turner, Rembrandt, Vermeer, et al.), but for me it is the Romantic overtones that makes Friedrich's work so powerful.  These are not merely landscapes.  In the tradition of other Romantic artists like Wordsworth, Keats and Beethoven, Friedrich's work does not extol the glory of the church, the greatness of his patrons or the virtuosic talent of the artist, he is illustrating the titanic power of nature and how minuscule we mere mortals are when confronted by it.  Lonely and destitute penitents move like wraiths between the tombstones in the shadows of a once glorious cathedral ravished by the supreme power of Time.   The lattice of windows is mundane in comparison to the shapes of the tree branches. The mightiest ships of the greatest empires are crushed like toys in the ragged jaws of ice flows.  The spires of a church pale in comparison to the Divine beauty of nature's own spires.

Friedrich's compositions at once show us the beauty and devastating power of nature, the complex grace that can be discovered in a simple study of a tree, and our place in this Great Masterpiece.

Enjoy. (click on thumbnails for larger versions)

WOC    

 

"A Man and a Woman Contemplating the Moon"

1830

Oil on Canvas.  

National Gallery, Berlin

"Study of a Tree"

1806

Pencil on paper

Listen to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata (1801) for a better understanding of Friedrich.

Flight of the Paladin

A brave and stalwart paladin riding his steed into battle against a rampaging fire breathing dragon! The classics are always the most fun.

This recent project made for an excellent example of my process and I thought I would share some of that with you.

For a full, streaming evolution watch the painting unfold on video:



©2012 William O'Connor Studios