I just discovered this large "Land of Make Believe" map (above) behind some paint cans in my garage. I bought it for my kids when they were young and then promptly lost it...and now here it is again! Maybe someone's still selling it.
Here's (above) a darker, more serious version of the Make Believe map. Jaro Hess drew it in 1930.
I went on the net to find out more about the more about the Make Believe map and I discovered other fantasy maps that I didn't know existed. This one (above) seems to have come with a board game. Judging from the unflattering way black tribesmen are depicted I'd guess it's from the 1930s or 40s.
Wow! Here's a European-made map (above) showing what appears to be an arab fantasy landscape. How do you like the Moon in the upper right corner?
That's all the fantasy maps I have but I'll throw in a realistic map of India (above) from 1805.
And here's (above) an early Chinese map painted on sandstone. The rest of the world showed no interest in landscape painting until fairly recent times, but the Chinese seem to have long regarded it as an art form.
Interesting, eh?
3 comments:
I remember so clearly this post you once made about the devilish expression on a caricaturist's face, and how that's the face they all make :D So I thought you might like this post:
http://jedavu.tumblr.com/post/105122334721/disney-animators-study-their-reflections-in
"In this charming set of photos, legendary animators from the 1940s to the 1960s can be seen making hilarious faces at themselves as they sketch beloved characters like Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, and Fred Flintstone. Working in famed studios like Walt Disney Production, Warner Bros, and Hanna-Barbera Productions, these artists brought to life many of the creations that defined the golden age of American animation, from Tom and Jerry to Lady and the Tramp."
I've recently finished listening to an audio book called Leonardo's Brain, about Leo da Vinci. The author posits that Leo used a firm of astral projection called remote viewing, in order to produce highly accurate maps from a distance which would be similar to satellite photography. Apparently, the question of how the master drew these maps has been puzzling scholars for centuries. Da Vinci also described foreign landscapes in detail, places which he had never physically visited. Interesting idea! It could also explain how he could visualise the movement of a birds wing, galling water and the disturbance of mud under the waters surface, minute anatomical detail, etc. If he had a space/time consciousness, he could literally slow time or scale up or down to view and understand these natural wonders.
M: Thanks much for the link! I always use a mirror but animation friends have different opinions about it. When I first met John he disdained the idea. He thought it limited artists' imaginations and tied them to simple caricature. Later he endorsed the idea.
Kelly: Wow! Interesting!
Post a Comment