The man was clearly a genius. I love his early fantasy impressionism especially, and as I've said elsewhere his Sorcery illustrations are among my favourite pieces of fantasy art. And of course the Citadel Compendium Cover blows my mind every time I look at it. Where I suppose I never followed was the development into the "grimdark" aesthetic for which he is so celebrated. Obviously I have a lot of respect for the 'Blanchitsu' approach with its twisted combinations and I appreciate that somewhat warped perspective where the heroic becomes the pathetic. But I do prefer work that's a bit more firmly rooted in the folklore fantasy aesthetic. Partly that is just taste, but it's linked to a philosophical preference too; I think the slide into grimdark can lose some of the moral subtlety that makes that effective. Its all just pessimism all the way down, and for me that's why I never really invested in the aesthetic world of 40k (or even Mordheim as illustrated). But the Blanche of the Sorcery illustration, early WHFB, and Ratspike, for me that's unsurpassed.
And that's without even mentioning his miniature painting and conversion work!!
It's funny that you should say that. I feel like there are several threads going on in Rogue Trader, of which the "grimdark" is only one. The gritty "Space Western" of Logansworld feels very, very different to me. And there's also a thread of humor that cuts through everything, maybe joining together dissimilar pieces. I think it's the "grimdark" that I've excised from my own gaming and world building. I've little use for the piles of skulls and purity ribbons, and none at all for the soul eating dead emperor or the crazed chaos demons.
But I can appreciate the art, even if it's not my style. And the man had many, many styles, and a supertanker's worth of talent and the attendant skills. So there's always something there. There are many ways to do a thing, and accepting that is the key to happy gaming. So I let my friend put his grimdark on my table next to my gritty.
I always thought of "Blanchitsu" more as a technique or approach to making a thing than as a style in and of itself. I associated it with "wabi-sabi;" a kind of "get it done and accept its imperfections as a feature that makes it real." Is that wrong? Is Blanchitsu really just the style? The wabi-sabi approach, whatever you call it, is one I take from his art, and it's served me well.
No matter how you slice it, the man was a legend, and he casts an impressive shadow over us all.
*sigh*
You're in my thoughts, everyone. May his family and friends have comfort. I'm pretty irreligious, but I sincerely hope he's having a whale of a time.
