Ready for a takeover? In our new series, Displate artists take the wheel wall to talk about some of their favorite pieces of art. Here to kick things off, it’s Paris-based dark fantasy artist Anato Finnstark!
First off, thanks for checking out my selection! Some of you may have already seen some of it in my newsletter. Now, it’s time for the whole thing.
To keep things interesting, I put together a list that mixes a little bit of everything. Some of the pieces below have inspired my own work, others come from artists I admire, and the rest is just beautiful art I love to look at.
Here goes!
The Last One by Grzegorz Rutkowski
This composition will leave you speechless. The profusion of elements in this artwork is compensated by an intentional lack of certain details, which doesn’t exhaust the viewer’s eye and, letting it focus on one of the most charismatic dragons I have ever seen in my life… This is a silhouette of indescribable bestiality!
This piece has adorned my living room for 2 years now and I still admire it every single day.
Dragon Bones by Stefan Koidl
One of the most famous illustrations on the net. This is well-deserved because everything in this image invites us to go out to travel and have an adventure.
The composition is really unique and the colors are just beautiful.
Nicol Bolas by Magic the Gathering Official Brandshop
Being both a huge fan of Magic the Gathering and an illustrator for this world-famous trading card game, I couldn’t skip the magnificent Nicol Bolas. This is absolutely my favorite Planeswalker.
Bride Of The Sea Poster by Gwent Official Brandshop
The melancholy of this piece can only be matched by the elegant way it plays with color contrasts. It’s an artwork that’s both very subtle and very impactful, with how it puts together cold, desaturated tones and the fiery red on our protagonist’s hair.
Death Dealer by Frank Frazetta Official Brandshop
How could I not mention the legend, the myth, the master? Frank Frazetta’s illustrations have inspired me from a very young age, so I just had to pay him an homage and feature his most iconic illustration, Death Dealer.
Never has any image marked the collective unconscious of all fantasy fans more than this one. For me, it’s an absolute.
Guardian Of Moonlight by VaatiVidya
I like this one because it’s an epic call for adventure. I mean, there’s a knight, a castle, a dragon – what more could you ask for?
Here the image is built with scales of deliberately “false” value, so that even though each element is an integral part of the scene, they can also be clearly distinguished, without being diminished or losing detail. This is a meticulous work of genius – and it sits proudly on the entrance to my house!
Yellow Grass by Dominik Mayer
This one is from an artist who surprises me more with every new piece. Dominik Mayer is undoubtedly a unique artist with one of the most easily identifiable characteristics that I have ever seen.
Impossible to deceive when you come across his work, his universe exudes a personality of its own, and yet he always manages to renew and evolve his color palette. This splendid illustration
is a perfect proof.
Nothing in this image is conventional, and yet everything works and nothing denotes.
Candy for the eyes and for the soul!
Hope you enjoyed my picks!
If you’re still hungry for some dark fantasy beauties, make sure to visit my website or check out some of my own artworks here at Displate. Feel free to add them to your collection – there’s always room for some swords and dragons!
If you want to see more from Anato Finnstark, you can find his Displate shop here. And a few of his breathtaking artworks below.
