You have to admit some of the JW illustrations were kinda cool...

marked

I almost used the word "art" in place of "illustrations" in the subject line. Yeek.

Anyway, I always thought that WT illustrators were of a fairly high calibre. After the hideous 70s-ish gray-orange-green My Book of Bible Stories era (and, yes, I know some of that had to do with printing tech at the time), some of the illustrations were (are) of quite high quality.

I remember as a kid loving the stuff in the Revelation book. It was like something out of a tripped-out sci-fi. Alone, that one image of the upsidedown angel forcefully pouring a bowl of water on a throne with the scarlet beast screaming and exiting frame was pretty intense imagery.

And all the visual takes on Armageddon? Graphic, sure, but have you ever seen so many well-rendered happy faces leaving a scene of mass genocide? (That was only partially tongue-in-cheek).

I mention this only because I wonder what these skilled artists-for-hire could produce were they permitted to actually express themselves as, well, artists.

~~marked~~

jimakazi

almost used the word "art" in place of "illustrations" in the subject line

You need to get out more. You are scaring me..... ART?

carla

I have to disagree, I find the graphics/art to be almost on a high school level. But, maybe it's just me and my loathing of the subject matter that colors my extreme distaste for even their "art". carla

jimakazi

I'm with Carla on this one.

kazar

As a serious artist myself, I can tell you that the WT art is crap! If their work were submitted to any art gallery or school they would be laughed out of the place. Their art has never been accredited by anyone. Anyone with a computer graphic art setup could do it, and even better. However, they might succeed in comic books.

Jourles

I remember as a kid loving the stuff in the Revelation book. It was like something out of a tripped-out sci-fi.

This is why they should branch out and start creating fictional stories(wait a sec, they already do that with a few parts during assemblies). Imagine the sort of creative works the WTS could come up with. They are already good at coming up with something out of nothing. And if you add in their Revelation-type illustrations, whoa, that would make for an impressive War of the Worlds-esque screenplay.

IronGland

I knew a person who felt one of the reason we knew we were directed by God was because the artists and musicians were among the greatest in the world.

talesin

Actually, my family has a big collection of old WTS stuff. I was looking through it last year, with the purpose of cataloguing it for sale.

The old tracts (booklets) from the 20s and 30s have some amazing artwork on the covers. I, too, am an artist, and can`t help but admire these beautiful works, though I hate the messages inside the booklets.

I say this to honour the memory of the artists the society used and who are now probably dead, having wasted their lives in service to the Tower.

They never got credit for their work, but I will credit them in this thread.

tal

littlerockguy

I remember seeing the artwork from the magazines hanging on the walls when I first visited Bethel but I really liked the paintings that were put in the stanley theatre.

RichieRich

but I really liked the paintings that were put in the stanley theatre.

yes, but that place is a little showy. Here's some recent pics from when I went in April:

You have to admit some of the JW illustrations were kinda cool...

Share this