Brian Froud's World of Faerie: v. 1 [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

The enchanting art of Brian Froud takes center stage in a stunning new book from Insight Editions entitled "Brian Froud's World of Faerie." This 176 page, coffee-table book is designed with the collector in mind. As with every book from Insight Editions, no expense is spared in the design and layout. As the title suggest, the book spotlights the whimsical world of the faerie, perhaps his favorite subjects. His art has inspired the look of films such as The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. This is a much-anticipated sequel to the original "Faeries" first published in 1979.

As you read through the pages and are transfixed by Froud's breathtaking art, Froud shares his inspirations with the reader. From a mere stroll through an idyllic field, and noting details like the moss on a rock or a fallen hazelnut, Froud weaves a tapestry of the subtle and fantastic. He can imagine these mythical creatures of magic fluttering about or perhaps hiding behind a tree or bush. You are swept up into Froud's world and his creations and there's no way you can't be awed. The intricate detail of his art brings each scene to life. You have to study and admire each piece closely because there is so much there...in the forefront and in the background. The faeries, imps, sprites and pixies blend into their surroundings and it almost becomes one of those find the hidden picture puzzles you did as a kid. Froud gives his interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, which can only be described as wonderfully bizarre and hauntingly beautiful.

Like many of the books from Insight Editions there are hidden little treats inside to be discovered. There are smaller booklets affixed inside, foldout spreads, and a poster.
One such booklet called Peter & Wendy is Froud's Peter Pan interpretation. Other creatures of legend are on display such as the Green Man and Green Woman, those representations of nature and rebirth. There are Unicorn Women, Giants, Trolls, and faeries of pure light. This is a book of timeless magic. Most of the art in the book is in full color with a little bit of sketch work as well.

This is Froud's world. He may not have created it, but he has perfected it without a doubt. This is his haven and the creatures there seem only too pleased to be a part of it. This is, dare I say it, even superior to the original "Faeries" in every way. Check out the Insight Editions website to see more: Inisght Editions

REVIEWED BY TIM JANSON

Brian Froud has illustrated several books on faeries but Brian Froud's World of Faerie is the most lavish art book yet.

The book is beautifully constructed and filled with masterful paintings and sketches printed on low gloss paper. Just like other books published by Insight Editions, there are also several little booklets pasted onto the pages. At the end of the book in an envelope is a poster of a poem by Neil Gaiman.

He paints as if he's beside the faeries themselves. His commentary introduces us to the world and secrets of faeries, showing us the many disguises and types of faeries. He even has his own interpretation for classic stories like Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

There are not just faeries but other mysterious creatures like unicorns, trolls, green women and phyllomantic men. Phyllomancy is the art of divination by listening to the rustling of leaves. Interesting details like such accompany the paintings.

This is a nice book for fantasy art lovers or fans of Brian Froud.

(More pictures are available on my blog. Just visit my Amazon profile for the link.)

I always look foreword to new offerings from Brian Froud, and 'World of Faerie' is no exception. Overall, I was pleased with this collection of words and images, and my reaction to this, his first major faery-dedicated book in numerous years, is composed more of commentary rather than any real criticism. The original 'Faeries' will always be the pinnacle of his work, in my opinion, but this is not to suggest that his artistic growth in the past 25 years since its publication is not valuable; it is just that 'Faeries' had such a profound influence on my own artwork and world view from a very early age that it's difficult to supplant something so personally significant. (I also have to take into consideration that 'Faeries' was a collaboration with an equally-gifted artist, Alan Lee, and I do believe that 'Faeries' contains more enchantment than the sum of the talents of both artists.)

This book is something of a compilation and its contents span the course of Froud's thirty-year eldritch journey. There are familiar and well-loved images in its pages -- paintings recognizable from Faeries (25th Anniversary Edition), The Faeries' Oracle, The Runes of Elfland, Good Faeries Bad Faeries, work that has made fleeting appearances on his website over the years, etc. In addition, it includes numerous pieces which were created to accompany Terri Windling's lovely mythopoetic novel The Wood Wife. While these images have appeared online on the Endicott Studio website, I believe this may be the first time they are widely available in print. For die-hard Froudians, there are a few never-before (publicly) seen paintings and drawings scattered throughout. The Unicorn Women are richly-detailed, symbol-laden pieces which are brand new.

Observant fans of Froud's work will also find not just familiar pieces within its pages, but also familiar faces. To my knowledge, Froud often uses his own photographs of friends and acquaintances who pose for him as reference for his artwork, and one can note the features of his favorite muses (including, of course, his preeminent muse Wendy Froud to whom the book is dedicated) reflected throughout. For example, the male faery in the drawing on page 121 is obviously based on the same model for the painting on page 128. The gorgeous olive-skinned fay on page 39 also appears in sketch form on page 8. One of my only criticisms though might be that there are a handful of paintings in which virtually the same exact pose and/or composition is replicated. There is a painting of a faery called "Lilu" in 'Good Faeries/Bad Faeries' whose visage also appears in 'World of Faery' on page 44 along with other members of the Unseelie Court. For some reason this is especially the case with his depictions of Frog Women. I would love to see Brian take a slightly new perspective on these beautiful creatures who are some of my favorite of the fae who visit his studio.

Taking a presentational cue from the Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book: 10 3/4 Anniversary Edition series, this book also incorporates three smaller booklets: one in memory of a late friend and composer, one of Froud's digital/photomanipulated art, and one relating to Greenmen and other arboreal fay. There is also a poster tucked away on the inside of the back cover featuring a poem by Neil Gaiman. Froud mentions in his introduction that an alternate title for 'World of Faerie' is 'Brian Froud's Book on How to Paint and Draw Faeries,' and Gaiman's 'Instructions' is definitely in the spirit of a genuine approach to creating mythic art, infinitely more so than the slew of previously published books which claim to teach one to do so.

The conscious role of 'World of Faerie' as a catalyst to (hopefully) initiate a shifting towards more soulful faery art in the face of the overly-commercialized facet of the genre is only indirectly derived from Froud's own words -- the explicit statements to this affect are outlined in Ari Berk's foreword. Berk is an author/artist/scholar after my own heart, and I am pleased to see concerns and sentiments that I have been writing about for years expressed in such a broadly dispersed, printed form. I wholeheartedly agree with David Riche's statements in his review regarding this book as a powerful touchstone to counter the onslaught of superficial "fairy art" which has become popular in recent years.