Anke Katrin Eißmann
Encyclopedia
Anke Katrin Eißmann is a German
illustrator and graphic designer known for her illustrations of J. R. R. Tolkien
's legendarium
. She studied visual communication at Bauhaus University in Weimar
and at the Colchester Institute
in the United Kingdom
. Eißmann has also made a number of short films. She is an art teacher at the Johanneum high school in Herborn
.
and The Lord of the Rings
. In a 2009 interview she stated that her first encounter with Tolkien's theme was watching Ralph Bakshi
's animated film version
of Lord of the Rings in 1991. This inspired her to read the novel and initially made her draw illustrations. While studying in Weimar, she began to publish her illustrations on the internet, which gave her feedback by such artists as Ted Nasmith
. As stated on her homepage, Eißmann was also influenced by: "the Pre-Raphaelites, book-illustrators like Arthur Rackham
, Edmond Dulac, Ivan Bilibin
and Alan Lee, Art Nouveau
, artists like Edward Hopper
and Jan Vermeer".
Apart from Tolkien themes, a lot of Eißmann's work is focused on mythological and historical themes.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
illustrator and graphic designer known for her illustrations of J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's legendarium
Legendarium
Legendary may refer to:*A hagiography, or study of the lives of saints and other religious figures**The South English Legendary, a Middle English legendary*A legend-Entertainment:*Legendary, an album by Kaysha*Legendary...
. She studied visual communication at Bauhaus University in Weimar
Weimar
Weimar is a city in Germany famous for its cultural heritage. It is located in the federal state of Thuringia , north of the Thüringer Wald, east of Erfurt, and southwest of Halle and Leipzig. Its current population is approximately 65,000. The oldest record of the city dates from the year 899...
and at the Colchester Institute
Colchester Institute
Colchester Institute is a large provider of further and higher education based in the town of Colchester, and includes the Centre for Music and Performing Arts, Centre for Hospitality and Food Studies, and the Professional Training Centre. Higher Education courses are accredited by the University...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Eißmann has also made a number of short films. She is an art teacher at the Johanneum high school in Herborn
Herborn
Herborn is a historic town on the Dill in the Lahn-Dill district of Hesse in Germany. Before World War I, it was granted its own title as Nassauisches Rothenburg. The symbol or mascot of this town is a bear. Scenic attractions include its half-timbered houses; Herborn is located on the German...
.
Works
Eißmann's early inspiration was drawn from works by J. R. R. Tolkien, such as The SilmarillionThe Silmarillion
The Silmarillion is a collection of J. R. R. Tolkien's mythopoeic works, edited and published posthumously by his son Christopher Tolkien in 1977, with assistance from Guy Gavriel Kay, who later became a noted fantasy writer. The Silmarillion, along with J. R. R...
and The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...
. In a 2009 interview she stated that her first encounter with Tolkien's theme was watching Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's animated film version
The Lord of the Rings (1978 film)
J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings is a 1978 American fantasy film directed by Ralph Bakshi. It contains both animation and live action footage which is rotoscoped to give it a more consistent look throughout the length of the movie. It is an adaptation of the first half of the high fantasy...
of Lord of the Rings in 1991. This inspired her to read the novel and initially made her draw illustrations. While studying in Weimar, she began to publish her illustrations on the internet, which gave her feedback by such artists as Ted Nasmith
Ted Nasmith
Ted Nasmith is a Canadian artist, illustrator and architectural renderer. He is best known as an illustrator of J. R. R. Tolkien's works — The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion....
. As stated on her homepage, Eißmann was also influenced by: "the Pre-Raphaelites, book-illustrators like Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham
Arthur Rackham was an English book illustrator.-Biography:Rackham was born in London as one of 12 children. At the age of 18, he worked as a clerk at the Westminster Fire Office and began studying part-time at the Lambeth School of Art.In 1892 he left his job and started working for The...
, Edmond Dulac, Ivan Bilibin
Ivan Bilibin
Ivan Yakovlevich Bilibin was a 20th-century illustrator and stage designer who took part in the Mir iskusstva and contributed to the Ballets Russes. Throughout his career, he was inspired by Slavic folklore....
and Alan Lee, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
, artists like Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper
Edward Hopper was a prominent American realist painter and printmaker. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching...
and Jan Vermeer".
Apart from Tolkien themes, a lot of Eißmann's work is focused on mythological and historical themes.
Illustrations
Books and other writings illustrated by Anke Eißmann include:- The Rejected Quarterly (Winter/spring 2004), a literary magazine sold in universities at the west coast of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, focusing on fictional works rejected by other publishers. - Beowulf and the Dragon, Walking Tree PublishersWalking Tree PublishersWalking Tree Publishers was founded in 1996 by members of the Swiss Tolkien Society with the aim of publishing the proceedings of the Cormarë conference held that year to mark the 10th anniversary of the Swiss Tolkien Society. The company is run by volunteers and on a no-profit basis, with surplus...
(2009), ISBN 978-3-905703-17-7 (the dragon episode of BeowulfBeowulfBeowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...
, Old English text with the translation by John Porter, foreword by Tom ShippeyTom ShippeyThomas Alan Shippey is a scholar of medieval literature, including that of Anglo-Saxon England, and of modern fantasy and science fiction, in particular the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, about whom he has written several scholarly studies. He is widely considered one of the leading academic scholars...
)
External links
- Official site
- Anke Eißmann on Elfwood