Magic Musings: January 2017

Art, as with any form of expression, is largely subjective; no matter how persuasive an essay is--or skilled its author, at the end of the day a significant portion will be rendered moot. You cannot expect everyone's tastes will line up with yours. For some this makes the task of discussion art daunting, perhaps even pointless. After all, why discuss a medium if its very nature is to invoke different feelings in different people? What can be gleaned from this besides the obvious? In a literal sense, yes, there is little point to having these discussions. You're likely to not shift your views on a form of media you dislike--taste is, after-all, a personal opinion. Yet, the subjectiveness of art is also where we find our most value. It is one thing to discuss a commonly held sentiment (X is good); it is another thing to discuss a sentiment that others will disagree with (X is good, Y isn't). There's a catharsis in having earnest, and informed, discussions about subjects which invoke such strong feelings.

Over the coming weeks, months, and (god forbid), years I will be doing my best to write an informed and broad look at the artwork of Magic through the ages. These posts will attempt to act as both a history and op-ed, and for the most part they will be broken up into eras as well as in-depth looks at specific artists. It is my hope that, by the end of the this project, we will look at the illustrations on our expensive pieces of cardboard differently. In addition, I sincerely hope these articles will prove useful to someone who knows little about art, or who would just like to have more knowledge on the subject.

Next week we begin our journey with a look at the early-art of Magic: Alpha, Beta, and Arabian Nights.
Before we go, please enjoy a brief look at some pieces spanning the entirety of Magic's history.

Note: For early sets of Magic, finding the art without the card frame is a challenge. I will try my hardest to only post the artwork, but understand sometimes that's just not possible.