Tolkien Etchings

In my etchings based on The Silmarillion, The Lord of the Rings, and other works of professor J.R.R.Tolkien I have attempted to be as true to his words as humanly possible, however one will always make mistakes. Eowyn confronting the Lord of the Nazgul on the Pelinor Field is a scene I have read probably dozens of times, yet, in my etching of it, I still missed an important element. Perhaps seduced into forgetting what I had read by a sketch I did in my twenties, I gave the Winged Beast a sort of dragonish face. However, the text clearly states, “Again it leaped into the air, and then swiftly fell down upon Eowyn, shrieking, striking with beak (italics my own) and claw.” To my chagrin, I realized I had to alter this print. Chagrin, because with an etching this involves a fair amount of work — you must essentially carve into the copper plate, removing old lines with various tools as if it were a sculpture, and then re-etch it.

I have seen this scene depicted by many artists, and, surprisingly, only a very few of these works get this aspect right. My intention is to be more careful with regard to accuracy to the text in my future work. I have frequently practiced artistic license in my other art, and have no problem with this. However, professor Tolkien’s imagery is so vivid and powerful, I really don’t believe there is any need to alter the essential features of the text. Also, I feel the LOTR is a masterpiece, deserving the same care and respect as the work of Shakespeare, or Chaucer.

Anyway, here are the before and after.This piece is still in progress, and, as you can tell. Many other changes have been made beside that mentioned above, with others to follow. One detail that may be of interest is Eowyn’s expression. The text said she had a fell expression, and my altered version shows this. I may have been influenced by the movies in giving her a terrified look, initially.