At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic

Beauty and the Beast by Thomas Blackshear II (Art © Thomas Blackshear II)

Larry Elmore.  Avalyne the Life-Giver, 1988.  From the Collection of the Artist.

Greg Hildebrandt.  Mob Rules – Black Sabbath, Ca. 1976.   From the Collection of the Artist.

James Steranko.  Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980. From the Collection of the Artist.  Copyright Jim Steranko 1980, ARR. Star Wars is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd.

Sun, 06/03/2012 - Sun, 09/09/2012

Scheller Gallery, Rodale Gallery, Fowler Gallery

“All the works of man have their origin in creative fantasy.  What right have we then to depreciate imagination?”  --Carl Jung

The Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley is pleased to showcase an exhibition that will introduce contemporary fantastic art to the museum setting.  At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic will not only be the most comprehensive exhibition of fantastic art to date, it will also be the first time that this discipline has been presented on such a large scale.  Sometimes labeled as science fiction or fantasy art, such imaginative realism distinguishes itself from other forms by portraying ancient myths and legends, modern day fantasies in the form of divine interventions, the imagination, the dream state, the grotesque visions and the uncanny as common objects.

Fantastic art is not a new invention.  According to the exhibition’s guest curators, Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire, fantastic art has been around since man has “been able to make meaningful marks on permanent materials.”  They go on to say that, “Ancient artwork is rife with narrative depictions of gods, monsters, shining deeds and things crawling from dark shadows.”

While the widespread prevalence of fantastic themes in popular culture is relatively recent, most historians date the inception of today’s contemporary fantastic art to that of the Romanticism movement in the second half of the 18^th century.  The parameters of fantastic art were further defined throughout the 19^th century, featuring prominently in the pre-Raphaelite and Academic movements.  Fantastic art flowered during the Golden Age of Illustration in the early 20^th century, but then became more marginalized and self-referential through the mid-20^th century.  Since the 1970s, fantastic art has enjoyed a renaissance as contemporary artists have rediscovered and reconnected to the works of their forebearers.  At the Edge: Art of the Fantastic will feature works by Paul Lehr, James Gurney and others.

The Wilshire’s organization, The Association of Fantastic Art, is dedicated to the promotion, recognition and elevation of the art of the fantastic.  It is the organization behind the IlluXCon symposium in Altoona, PA, which provides a meeting point for the promotion and celebration of fantastic art.  In the fall of 2013, IlluXCon will be held at the Allentown Art Museum of the Lehigh Valley.

Learn more about IlluXCon HERE.