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Description
In western lands beneath the Sun (2022). An illustration of one of the many great poems in the Lord of the Rings, sung by Sam when he looks for Frodo in the Tower of Cirith Ungol.

The picture is available in my shop: etsy.me/3PX9sBO

I love this poem, it is such a beautiful expression of hope. Even if a little later in the story at another profound moment Sam himself thinks that "His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself", still the poetic image of all the beauty in the world that is still there even if you are buried in the darkness and can give you a strength to go on is really beautiful. And I think it still is a hope, estel, even if less pure that the entirely selfless hope that Sam feels later. I think here in singing this song he imagines something like what he later experiences: "that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach".

As for the composition of the picture, I wanted it to reflect the text of the poem. As I understand it, it starts with the stark contrast between on the one hand the "western lands" with all their beauty of flowers, trees, birds and stars and on the other hand "here at journey's end", separated from all that by the deep darkness, strong towers and high mountains. But then the conclusion is that despite all that, "above all shadows rides the Sun and Stars for ever dwell," in other words, there is Hope beyond all Shadow, the Day is not done; "Aurë entuluva!" we could say with Húrin.

And that is what I tried to convey in the composition. The two halves are apparently divided by the decorative border, but that division is broken in the upper part, with the sky spanning above everything. What do you think about this concept?

I have written much more about it in a post on my Patreon, so check it out: www.patreon.com/posts/69425694

Description
In western lands beneath the Sun (2022). An illustration of one of the many great poems in the Lord of the Rings, sung by Sam when he looks for Frodo in the Tower of Cirith Ungol.

The picture is available in my shop: etsy.me/3PX9sBO

I love this poem, it is such a beautiful expression of hope. Even if a little later in the story at another profound moment Sam himself thinks that "His song in the Tower had been defiance rather than hope; for then he was thinking of himself", still the poetic image of all the beauty in the world that is still there even if you are buried in the darkness and can give you a strength to go on is really beautiful. And I think it still is a hope, estel, even if less pure that the entirely selfless hope that Sam feels later. I think here in singing this song he imagines something like what he later experiences: "that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach".

As for the composition of the picture, I wanted it to reflect the text of the poem. As I understand it, it starts with the stark contrast between on the one hand the "western lands" with all their beauty of flowers, trees, birds and stars and on the other hand "here at journey's end", separated from all that by the deep darkness, strong towers and high mountains. But then the conclusion is that despite all that, "above all shadows rides the Sun and Stars for ever dwell," in other words, there is Hope beyond all Shadow, the Day is not done; "Aurë entuluva!" we could say with Húrin.

And that is what I tried to convey in the composition. The two halves are apparently divided by the decorative border, but that division is broken in the upper part, with the sky spanning above everything. What do you think about this concept?

I have written much more about it in a post on my Patreon, so check it out: www.patreon.com/posts/69425694