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Chargement... Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV (édition 1990)par Wayne Douglas Barlowe (Auteur)
Information sur l'oeuvreExpédition : Carnets de notes, de croquis et de peintures relatant l'exploration de 2358 après J.C. de l'exoplanète Darwin IV par Wayne D. Barlowe
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The Most Important Travel Book in the 24th CenturyFrom the Initial Creature Concept artist of AVATAR The book that Discovery Channel's ALIEN PLANET was based uponNew York, March 24, 2366-Five years to the day after returning to Earth, Wayne Douglas Barlowe had published his collection of paintings, drawings, and sketches made during the first manned expedition to the planet Darwin IV. Now back in print after years secluded in the collections of ardent followers, the publich can once again stroll through the exotic images of life on that distant planet. Barlowe's exquisite renderings and detailed notes from the far reaches of time will transport you light years into the future. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)759.13The arts Painting History, geographic treatment, biography United States and Canada United StatesClassification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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And what a task it must have been. The resulting 192-page book is a lavish tour-de-force, dripping color off every page and chock full of illustrations, sketches and all manner of fascinating descriptions. That the vast majority of alien fauna depicted here is improbable isn't the point--the fact that they are (at least at first blush) plausible, and perhaps more importantly, decidedly alien, is.
The conceit of this book is that it's an artifact from 300 years into our future, a time when humanity has poisoned and polluted our world so that only a handful of grotesque, mutant species remain to eke out a living in the toxic environment. Arriving in the nick of time to save us from ourselves, the alien Yma now manage the environmental restoration of the Earth, even as they attempt to teach us how to do so on our own. As part of humanity's education, a joint mission is launched to Darwin IV, so that the importance of biodiversity can be witnessed firsthand. Barlowe, an artist, is a member of the mission charged with capturing the elusive spirit of the world that is beyond mere photographs. As framing devices go, it is a bit heavy-handed and pretentious, and is easily the weakest part of the book. Once the artist descends to the surface of Darwin IV, however, things kick into high gear and don't let up.
Barlowe gives careful consideration to the ecology and evolutionary adaptations of each species here, often drawing on Earth analogs to enhance the verisimilitude of each piece. The bipedal herbivore Symet, for example, has a tail that closely resembles its head, a trait that confuses predators just long enough to allow the Symet to escape an attack--a survival trick that is not unknown among terrestrial animals. Other choices Barlowe makes are farther "out there."
Throughout the book, Barlowe goes out of his way to tease the reader with hints of a far greater and extensive ecology than that contained in the notes. Landscape scenes show herds of unidentified creatures in the distance, odd mushroom-like growths discharging nasty-looking electrical shocks, giant gourd-like trees and towering amoebic blobs that presumably roam around the world as they will. Frustratingly, none of these are discussed or even mentioned. Frustrating, yes, but very clever. These incidental additions to the paintings--creatures and plants ubiquitous to Darwin IV, yet not "interesting" enough to devoted limited page space to--add an additional layer of depth and nuance to the book, cluing the reader in that there is far more at work here than a by-the-numbers encyclopedia cataloging of impossible creatures from one man's imagination.
Despite Expedition's flaws--biology that stretches the limits of credibility in some cases, and an over-reliance on the eco-catastrophe framing device--the book is nothing short of inspirational. With science fiction in television, movies and books overrun by a tedious lineage of uninspired humanoid extraterrestrials that may sport cranial ridges but speak perfect English nonetheless, Barlowe shows what is possible if people would just let their imaginations soar. Aside from that, the artwork in the book is undeniably beautiful. Were they available, I'd gladly buy full-sized prints of any of these scenes in a heartbeat. ( )