Debate: Best Narnia Illustration (Round 1)
Watch the video: https://youtu.be/1NL7dolo-hg
We are on a mission to crown the greatest illustration created for The Chronicles of Narnia books!
Do you agree with our picks? Post a comment below!
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Of these eight, I have to go with the VDT Reepicheep as my favourite. It’s the two sides of chivarly in one image: the courtesy and the martialness. His entire posture is graceful, like Gymfan said, it almost looks like he’s dancing… but then his right paw is resting on a sword.
Or maybe I’m just partial because it’s my avatar!
Don’t hate me but I think I would have picked 2 over 7. I love how 7 captures The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’s physical description of Reepicheep but I don’t think it would attract my eye if I hadn’t read that book. 2, on the other hand, just might. My favorite illustration of Charn though is actually the one with the fountain.
I think my eye might be drawn more to 6 than 3. While the characters are less visually interesting, what with none of them being fauns, the background is more visually interesting. Or maybe it’s just that 3 is iconic and 6 isn’t and I like rooting for the underdog. LOL.
So far it seems like illustrations of iconic characters are winning. Makes sense, I suppose. Something I like about Pauline Baynes’s style, for Narnia anyway, is how she does what could be called little series of mini-illustrations for when the characters are telling stories. Examples include the Tumnus’s stories in Chapter 2 of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Aravis’s story in Chapter 3 of The Horse and his Boy. I kind of wish some of those could have made this competition. Oh well.
Lots of fun so far and the atmosphere is tense as we await the next round… 😀
In most cases, I also would definitely have chosen the ones that won in this case. I was about equally split between “Reepicheep at the gates” and the one of Fledge flying, though. But I think in the end I would also have chosen Fledge, because we’ve already got one of Reepicheep, and the VDT image of him shows him a lot more as the “mouse of action” that he generally is. He’s beautifully poised and looking equally like he could be about to bow with great courtesy, or draw his sword and stab someone in the leg. Though I agree, that sword is far too long for it not to drag on the ground as soon as he straightens up!!
The LB illustration of him is just beautiful, and I do also love that moment when he steps out through the gates to welcome them, but I don’t think it captures his character quite as well. Whereas the Fledge illustration is also full of beauty and it does capture one of the most exciting twists in one of the most exciting Narnia stories — the journey on a flying horse. Yes, it’s not particularly original as far as fantasy stories go, but then, neither is a talking mouse — unless, of course, it’s a talking mouse like Reepicheep. But as I said, we already have one of him that I think works better (the VDT one), so…
When it comes to the image of Puddleglum from the back being so “cinematic”, I have a feeling that the BBC version of SC — the only screen adaptation of it so far — *does* show something like that scene of him from the back with his tall hat sticking up. But it’s so many years since I’ve seen it that I’m not sure if I’m misremembering! (Whether or not they included that particular shot, though, I still reckon Tom Baker absolutely NAILED that role perfectly.)
The choice in the next round is going to be even harder, but so far, if I could pick my overall favourite… well, it’d be very difficult, but it might just have to be Lucy and Tumnus — THE most iconic Narnia scene ever. As you guys say, there’s a good reason why that is the most famous illustration from all the books — it’s just so beautifully done, and juxtaposes this ordinary girl and this extraordinary creature walking together “as if they had known one another their whole lives.” And it is arguably that perfect balance of the comfortingly familiar and the astonishingly magical that makes Narnia so appealing. At least, it is for me, anyway.
Love video episodes!