Greece and Rome at War - Peter Connolly

[wmyers]

Yes, his artwork is incredible!

I hope the originals have been preserved.

[ragbones]

I have both, Warry's book in a french translation, Connolly's in the 1981 edition. Yes Peter Connolly may have been sometimes slightly out of the mainstream scholar interpretation of ancient sources (spartan unit organization was it?). Anyway, he was ALSO such a gifted artist! so much more than Angus Mc Bride who just didn't know how to draw a human body. And take his third century roman cataphractarius picture: he was way ahead of his time, the Phil Barker and WRG times, when this military dress was rejected as invention... until everybody discovered that this was the most probable dress of these soldiers at the time, the Dura Europos graffito being probably a Persian or Palmyrenian variant. Nobody did miniatures of this at the time, everybody following Barker, but now this is the other way round. Geat man Mr Connolly.
Philippe

I’d never read that criticism of Angus McBride’s work before.  I love his paintings and illustrations.  Many artists develop a certain ‘style of portrayal’ and McBride’s was strong and authentic to character.  Of course, your mileage may vary.  Peter Connolly was also brilliant.

[pallard]

Not many people dare scratch Mc Bride's reputation, so let me be more precise. I don't say that he was bad. Some of his works are stunning, in a quite rigid way though. On the shiny side of the mountain: his work about African ancient civilizations, and some old osprey men at arms volumes like: 57 the zulu war, or 109 Ancient Armies of the Middle East. But have a look at the other side: picture the gross perspective errors in 125, Amies of Islam plate G3, 184 Polish Armies I plate A4, 188 Polish Armies II plate E1 and 2: poor John Sobiesky looking like a dwarf and his janissary having ape-long arms if you just deploy them! 137 The Scythians plate B2, this one is frankly wrong proportionately, Elite series 30 Attila and the Nomad Hordes plate E the Avars, were 1 and 3  have wrong body proportions and so forth! I have been a student in a very selective art academy in Paris, years ago, the Académie Julian- école d'art Penninghem, and I can assure you that such works would not have made it for the first three month round of selective evaluation! A gifted artist no doubt, but an amateur.
Philippe

[Belgian]

Out of interest, where can we see your work as a former art student?

[pallard]

Now there may be some kind of explanations: first of all is what french artists call being "charette": after weeks of silence the phone calls for several different contracts altogether and you don't sleep for nights at hard work! quality may suffer from that. I suppose the popularity of Mr. Mc Bride put him in such situation often. Next possibility, related by the way, is of a second hand, out of MB's school, so to say, like Rembrandt's, which would explain some non-osprey paintings that are frankly ugly. I don't know.
But this is not to say that in detail his paintings had  not very nice parts, some faces, some costumes: they did really!
And we don't speak about historical mistakes because this is not meaningful in our perspective! But Peter Connolly was also an historian by the way!
Philippe

[Poiter50]

I'm hoping P Connolly's book is good because I just bought an old copy on Ebay.

[FierceKitty]

I had the pleasure of a long conversation with McBride once. I think he'd have been very open to any criticism fairly offered; seemed to bring to the job that devotion that marks the best of us.

[pallard]

Belgian
You can see it in some old french (available in Belgium too) magazines and in my old Slingshot article about Yar Lung Tibetans. But I never pretended to be anything else than an amateur myself, often making the same mistakes, so that I can detect them in other's works, and much less gifted than Mc Bride of course. If I gave another impression, I'm sorry for that.
It's just that I was trained about proportions, and I think I can comment on them: errors are facts, not opinions.
I do respect your affection and admiration for his work as a whole, because one takes an artist for his main qualities and accept his imperfections.
Philippe

[pallard]

FierceKitty
I would have loved to meet him myself, and if so would have made my comments with respect. I'm reacting against some blind adulation and fandom, not against the artist himself. And it's just personal.
Philippe

[Belgian]

Belgian
You can see it in some old french (available in Belgium too) magazines and in my old Slingshot article about Yar Lung Tibetans. But I never pretended to be anything else than an amateur myself, often making the same mistakes, so that I can detect them in other's works, and much less gifted than Mc Bride of course. If I gave another impression, I'm sorry for that.
It's just that I was trained about proportions, and I think I can comment on them: errors are facts, not opinions.
I do respect your affection and admiration for his work as a whole, because one takes an artist for his main qualities and accept his imperfections.
Philippe

Philippe, thanks no was only really interested in seeing your work hoping of discovering some more interesting pieces of historical artwork. Although I think your criticism of the artist being discussed might be a bit harsh given his talent and amount of artwork he made and books he illustrated.

[FierceKitty]

FierceKitty
I would have loved to meet him myself, and if so would have made my comments with respect. I'm reacting against some blind adulation and fandom, not against the artist himself. And it's just personal.
Philippe

I didn't think you were being disrespectful to anyone.

[mr ed]

I hold Peter Connolly and Angus McBride personally responsible for my lead mountain and I’d like to know how I can invoice their estates.

[ragbones]

A gifted artist no doubt, but an amateur.

Mr. McBride was no amateur and to suggest it in such an offhand manner is insulting to his memory.  I acknowledge your critical opinion of certain works but it remains that:  opinion.  Not fact.  We’re all entitled to our opinions about the merits of art. 

[wmyers]

I'm hoping P Connolly's book is good because I just bought an old copy on Ebay.

I have some of his other works and they are both a joy to read and to look at!  You will not be disappointed.

[wmyers]

Angus McBride did a very wide variety of art (much of which I am still discovering and am surprised at how wide and varied the subject matter).

However, some of the bare heads are disproportionate (misshapen) - especially the placement of the eyes. 

They are much like the bare headed Republican (Caesarian) heads by Mark Copplestone that Wargames Foundy sells.