Fantasy Art

by Sophie Gengembre Anderson (1869, pre-raphaelitism, oil on canvas)

Matthias Trentsensky's "Bees and Bee-Keeping" was published in Vienna in 1845 as part of a practical farming manual. It labels every detail with care: the queen, the workers, the drones and different types of hives, all drawn to help beekeepers understand their craft. Yet the print feels like more than a diagram. Each bee is given the same careful attention, turning a page of instruction into something quietly beautiful. It reminds us that even the most practical illustrations can become works of art. Quelle: meisterdrucke.com

In 1808, Thomas Rowlandson turned Napoleon into a giant spider. In "The Corsican Spider in His Web", the web stretches across Europe while different countries appear as trapped flies. Only Britain remains outside the web, refusing to be caught. Published just after Napoleon's invasion of Spain, the print wasn't simply a joke. It was political commentary aimed at the biggest story of the day. More than two hundred years later, the image still works. A spider, a web and a few trapped flies are enough to tell the whole story. Quelle: meisterdrucke.com

In European stories, dragons are usually monsters waiting for a hero. In Chinese tradition, the dragon is something very different. It symbolizes power, wisdom and good fortune and is closely connected with rain and the natural world. This dragon at Haw Par Villa in Singapore follows that tradition. It winds through painted clouds with antlers, long whiskers and shimmering scales, looking more like a guardian than a threat. Opened in 1937 by the Aw brothers, the creators of Tiger Balm, Haw Par Villa was designed to bring Chinese legends and moral stories to life. These dragons were never meant to be defeated. They were meant to be respected. Quelle: meisterdrucke.com

by Guillaume Seignac (1870-1924, oil on canvas)

by Guillaume Seignac (1870-1924, oil on cavas)

by Guillaume Seignac (1870-1924, painting)

by Evelyn Der Morgan (1885-86, pre-raphaelitism, oil on cavas)

by Charles Edouard Boutibonne (1883, oil on canvas)

by John Martin (1841, romanticism, oil on canvas)

by Gustave Dore (1871, romanticism, oil on canvas)

by Edward Robert Hughes (1912, pre-raphaelitism, watercolour with gouache & gold on paper)

by Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914, pre-raphaelitism)

by Edward Robert Hughes (c. 1902, pre-raphaelitism)

by Frederick Samuel Beaumont (1861-1954)

by Peter Paul Rubens (c. 1637, baroque, oil on canvas)

by Caspar David Friedrich (c. 1826-34, romanticism, sepia over pencil on paper)