Melkor's depiction by artists: Flawed?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Zigûr

One of the best things about it in my opinion is that it leaves Morgoth's face to our imagination.

As it should be. To me a visualization of the face of Morgoth (and for that matter, Sauron) is entirely counterproductive. Fear of the unknown is much more effective generally than a hard point of reference. When you're talking about the ultimate Tolkien personification of Evil, what outside the mind of the reader could possibly do it justice?

[Arathorn111]

I always pictured Morgoth as someone "beautiful" when he walked among elves as the... god damn it I can't remember the phrase, but something like the giver of gifts. But then, when he lost the ability to appear as he wished (after the fall of Numenor?) I picture him as someone quite ugly, repulsive even, to the normal free folk.

But that is just the picture I painted in my mind, nothing else.

[Belegorn]

Melkor was grandiose. His helmet, as the Morgoth, was so heavy Beren could not lift it [Lays of Belereiand, 8.4136-4137], and he had a scar and limp [12.3604-09, 3615-3617, 3632-3634]. I agree that terrible does not necessarily mean he had an ugly countenance. Melkor's physical form in the beginning is described as:

Originally Posted by Silmarillion, p. 12

because of his mood and the malice that burned in him that form was dark and terrible. And he descended upon Arda in power and majesty greater than any other of the Valar, as a mountain that wades in the sea and has it head above the clouds and is clad in ice and crowned with smoke and fire; and the light of the eyes of Melkor was like a flame that withers with heat and pierces with deadly cold.

He is also said to have walked around in various "shapes of power and fear" [p. 34] I'd say he was more of an intimidating figure than an ugly one.

[Belegorn]

Originally Posted by Arathorn111

I always pictured Morgoth as someone "beautiful" when he walked among elves as the... god damn it I can't remember the phrase, but something like the giver of gifts. But then, when he lost the ability to appear as he wished (after the fall of Numenor?) I picture him as someone quite ugly, repulsive even, to the normal free folk.

But that is just the picture I painted in my mind, nothing else.

You're confusing Melkor with Sauron here. Melkor was done at the end of the First Age. Númenor perished near the end of the 2nd Age and Sauron became disfigured then, or rather could no longer take on pleasing forms. Sauron was the one who came to the Elves as Annatar, Lord of Gifts.

[Arathorn111]

Originally Posted by Belegorn

You're confusing Melkor with Sauron here. Melkor was done at the end of the First Age. Númenor perished near the end of the 2nd Age and Sauron became disfigured then, or rather could no longer take on pleasing forms. Sauron was the one who came to the Elves as Annatar, Lord of Gifts.

Yeah sorry about that, have to admit I was a bit drunk at the time.

[Ivriniel]

I imagine he would have been incredibly handsome (given the vanity) while he was still able to take fair form, before going off to Angband. The archetypal 'bad boi' appeal, or equivalent 'elfy' variation. Seducer, conman, appeals to narcissism to groom. He would have been very creepy at gatherings--flirting or implying such across boundaries of propriety.

Perverse, sexually, as is implied by citations indicationg cross-species couplings. Orcs multiplied quickly. And according to the mode of the children of illuvatar.

After his transition, not sure what was left of objectively handsome.

[Belegorn]

I don't know that his permanent form was not good looking.

"he put on again the form that he had worn as the tyrant of Utumno: a dark Lord, tall and terrible. In that form he remained ever after." [Simarillion, ch. 8]

It seems his other servants tended to have a terrible air about them as well.

[Kuruharan]

I think Morgoth's other servants had a terrible air about them because he was deliberately trying to make them degraded and vulgar.

Of course, maybe that means that he made himself look that way too.

I'm always in two minds about Nasmith's artwork. Some of it I find utterly inspired and some of it I find rather lacking.

In my opinion it is his landscapes that are amazing and his figures that are underwhelming. However, his figure work has improved in recent years.