Illustrations of Tolkien before his time

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Bêthberry

The interesting point here is that the picture has no central focus. I wonder if Tolkien's many chapters which repeat events occuring at the same time but in different places is something of an attempt to present this idea of art without one central perspective.

Interesting point indeed, Bb. The other day I was talking to a colleague who has seen the movies and has just begun reading LotR the book; she didn't like PJ's indulging in battle scenes, and I tried to explain to her how Tolkien handles those quite differently, focussing on many single scenes describing the deeds and experiences of individual characters rather than panoramic views of hundreds of anonymous warriors hewing away at each other. So actually my Altdorfer battle above corresponds better to the cinematic version, while your Bruegel is truer to the spirit of Tolkien!

Thanks everybody for your responses so far, it's fascinating to see what resonates visually (sorry for the awkward metaphor) with Tolkien for each of you!