The King Arthur Gallery; paintings, drawings and pictures of the Celtic Myths & Legends of King Arthur and a brief introduction to Arthurian Myth and Legend. An exhibition of Mythic Art by Contemporary American Illustrator Howard David Johnson, whose illustrations of Mythology have been published all over the world by distinguished learning institutions and publishers including the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
|
Myths and Legends of the Medieval Britons
The King Arthur Legends' Celtic Origins:
|
||||||
Did King Arthur Ever Really Live?
|
Did King Arthur ever really live? For more than a thousand years there has been debate over this question. Top authors and scholars from medieval times were furious about the fables that sprang up around the name of Arthur, the historical Romano-British king from the 5th Century. Did you know the real life Robin Hood ( before the legend was Christianized ) actually fought the ancient Romans during the reign of Emperor Claudius and was really a Celtic Warrior named Caracticus? Certainly a historical King Arthur lived but this stubborn oral folklore was not merely of a possible historic figure, but a survival of pre-historic myth, a hero of romance, and a fairy king. What began as an underground stream of oral tradition has emerged as a mighty river of literature, possibly the greatest fiction works of all time. In these prose romances he is a noble knight and a monarch of great splendor, riches and generosity who enjoyed the admiration of all. We are also told that all fairy haunted places, wherever they may be- belong to King Arthur. ( Brun de la Montage, Biblitheque Nationale ) It is now generally regarded as fact that the Celtic legends of history surrounding the medieval King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table and Guinevere are really derived from the Religion of the Ancient Britons. |
|
It
is believed by many scholars that the attributes and events of the life of King Artaius and
Gwenhwyvar of the British gods have been applied to the actual historical
King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in
an attempt to preserve the oral traditions of their ancient Celtic spiritual and cultural
heritage against
the persecution of the Romans during the dark ages... Merlin
was Myrddin, Mordred was Medrawt, Galahad was Gwalchaved and Sir Kay was
Kai to name a few.
|
|
 "The Magic Sword, Excalibur" |
 "The Sword of Lancelot" |
|
Note
the images of Heraldry on all the shields, flags and garments in the art in
this gallery. Arthur has a kingly lion, while Lancelot has the Piscean opposing fish imagery since he
came across the water and had the conflict of being both Arthur's most
loyal knight, but also having betrayed him by having an affair with
Guinevere, the queen he was appointed to protect. In real life, the
heraldic crests were the symbols of family groups and had other definite
meanings.
|
|
 |
|
|
T |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Merlin and Morgan Le Fay
|
|
 |
Little of the Merlin legend in Le Morte d'Arthur is completely new and the tales from his earlier life are omitted. The main events in the Arthurian Cycle include Merlin's king-making role, his influencing the Archbishop of Canterbury to summon all the lords who would be king to assemble in London at Christmas, and to come to mass and pray and afterward the great marble stone is seen with the sword in it with the famous inscription that whoever draws the sword is "rightwise king born of all England." His guidance was then crucial in persuading the barons to support the young king in his wars against the rebel kings, as was his guidance to Arthur in battle. Merlin got King Arthur his sword Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake, who was ultimately to be his undoing. He was smitten with her and went far away and taught her his craft until she tired of him, betrayed him and left him imprisoned him in a cave.
|
|
|
|
| Knights in Shining Armor This magnificent King Arthur as we now know him... the King Arthur riding around on a mighty steed in shining plate armor rescuing beautiful maidens and performing noble deeds such as questing for the Holy Grail really did not appear until the 12th century A.D. This is the earliest appearance of the plate armour wearing King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table that we know so well in our literature, motion pictures and folklore. |
|
 "Sir Gawain" MMX |
 "The Angels of Forgiveness" MMX |
| A great deal of spirituality and mysticism has also been associated with the King Arthur legends as well. In fact, there have been many versions of King Arthur growing out of the popular oral traditions before the printed book appeared. Since the legends of King Arthur are an ongoing and developing mythology it is reasonable to say all these various incarnations - A Pre-Historic Totemic deity, A Fairy King, A Celtic god, A Romano-British King, A King in Chain Mail and a King in shining plate armour are each correct - from a certain point of view! | |
 "The Age of Chivalry" MMV [The damsel in distress]
|
No collection of Art work devoted to the Legends of King Arthur would be complete without a damsel in distress or a villainous scoundrel like Mordred performing an abduction, making treacherous alliances and doing foul deeds. The Code of Chivalry demanded a knight be always ready with his armor on, except when taking his rest at night. That he defend ALL women, as well as the poor and the weak without reward, to be honest at all times no matter what the cost and of course to defend his faith, his home and his country with his life. In "De Casibus Virorum Illustrium" Giovanni Boccaccio states these basic rules of the Knights of the Round Table: *To never lay down arms* To seek after wonders* When called upon, to defend the rights of the weak with all one's strength*To injure no one*Not to attack one another*To fight for the safety of one's country*To give one's life for one's country*To seek nothing before honor*Never to break faith for any reason*To practice religion most diligently*To grant hospitality to anyone, each according to his ability*Whether in honor or disgrace, to make a report with the greatest fidelity to truth to those who keep annals*
|
|
The Fair Ladies of Camelot
Down to towered
Camelot;
And by the moon the reaper weary, "The Lady of Shalott" (2010)
A |
|
|
Of
course the most notable and desperately beautiful of the Arthurian Fair
Maidens is King Arthur's wife Queen Guinevere,
whose name means "Gwen
the Great" She was "the
loveliest woman in all the island".
She evolved from the
Celtic queen and mother goddess Gwenhwyvar.
She was the daughter of Leodegrance, previous owner of the Round Table,
which she brought together with a hundred knights for her dowry when she wed
Arthur.
When the barons suggested
it was time the young king took a wife, he told Merlin that he loved Guinevere, but Merlin warned him
that she wasn't wholesome enough to be his wife.
A Celtic queen was equal in status to a King and conducted their affairs
unhindered. Queen Guinevere's involvement with other men, willingly or
unwillingly, was an ongoing theme throughout the Arthurian Cycle. Guinevere's
abductions are the epitome of the damsel in distress, though she was never in
danger of death, but the object of desire. Guinevere, Arthur, and Lancelot,
formed the most celebrated love-triangle in European literature. |
 "The Queen's Champion" (MMX) Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere. |
|
The Knights of the Round Table were virtuous but not perfect; King Arthur loved many women like Biblical Kings David and Solomon and suffered similar negative familial consequences. He had two sons, both born out of wedlock, Sir Loholt by Lisanor, a knight of the Round Table and, Mordred, (Medrawt) son of Morgan Le Fay sought only to kill him and take his power and Kingly position. It was Mordred's betrayal that led to the great battle that saw King Arthur's final undoing.
The Holy Grail
In the King Arthur legends the quest for the Holy Grail was the highest spiritual undertaking for a knight. The Holy Grail is the cup from which Christ drank at the Last Supper and Joseph of Arimathea used it to catch Christ's blood and sweat during the crucifixion. The Round Table of Camelot recreated the table of the Grail built by Joseph of Arimathea as an archetype of the table from the Lord's Supper. Through many adventures over many years, Knights of the Round Table searched Britain high and low for it. Sir Galahad was the chief Grail knight, though other knights, Perceval and Bors also achieved the quest, achieving fulfillment- seeing grail and man lifted up to heaven as Moses, Elijah and Enoch were in the Bible. The quest for a divine vessel was a popular theme in more ancient British mythologies. Celtic Cauldrons were of great religious importance, as evidenced in the Arthurian Cycle and much older Celtic mythological legends. It appears in the Mabinogion tale of Culhwch and Olwen, and in the "Spoils of the Otherworld" in which the Celtic Arthur and his warriors voyage to the Celtic Otherworld to obtain the pearl-rimmed Cauldron of Annwfn and like the grail it was both a bringer of prophecy and prosperity.
|
|
| British Kings and Dragons
|
|
 "King Uther and the Dragon's Breath" MMI |
Dragons make both physical and symbolic appearances in Arthurian legend, Arthur, like his father Uther, was called "Pendragon," (Head Dragon). As a warrior-king it associates him with its fearsome qualities. Merlin's prophecy to King Vortigern reveals that Vortigern's tower cannot stand because its foundation rests over the den of two struggling dragons. Once the dragons are released from the ground, the white dragon kills the red one and then dies itself. Although Merlin said that the dragons symbolize Vortigern and those who will defeat him, this prophecy suggests a more foreboding interpretation to an audience aware of Camelot's immenent fall. Merlin's prophetic relationship with the Kings of Britian had been profound for generations, and accounts as far back as AD 574 describe them in various forms. It is in "The History of the Kings of Britain" (Historia Regum Britanniae) written by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century, that the Arthurian legend with Merlin begins to take shape. King Vortigern had mystical adventures before he had two sons, Pendragon and Uther see combat under the banners of the white and red dragons and then died a fiery death. Pendragon becomes king and with Uther and Merlin repel the invading Saxons. Pendragon is slain in battle at Salisbury, and Uther then takes the throne and, as Merlin advises, calls himself Uther Pendragon and created the Round Table as a replica of the table of the Grail built by Joseph of Arimathea which was a type of the table of the Last Supper and in memorial to the slain Britons grants his blessing to Merlin to bring the stones from Ireland and build Stonehenge. |
| King Uther Pendragon, father of Arthur had a vision of a dragon that was considered a mighty omen. Uther took one of Merlin's potions which rendered him an exact likeness of Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall and husband of Igraine. He was then able to gain entrance the castle and to Igraine. Thinking he was her husband, she allowed Uther into her bed, and King Arthur was conceived. Uther began a tradition of using the Dragons war like and terrible effigies as standards, carrying them into battle to "strike fear into the hearts of the heathen." Dragons were a very real terror even as late as 1564 appearing as part of the fauna known to medieval naturalists in the classic "Historia animalium" of Conrad Gesner. | |
Dragons were at times also conceived as beneficent powers - wiley and sharp eyed dwellers of the innermost portions of the Earth, wise to discover it's secrets and utter them in oracles, or powerful to invoke as guardian Genii ( Djinn ). In the sacred Hebrew texts ( The Holy Bible ) the Serpent or Dragon was the source of sin and death, a conception which was adopted by the New Testament and so passed into Knightly Christendom. Dragons and other mythic creatures were painted on shields and the Vikings carved Dragons heads onto the prows of their ships. The Dragon myths of the east took new forms in the west in the legends of the victories of St. Michael and St. George. The Dragon is a guardian of hoards, a greedy withholder of good things from men; keen witted rulers of cavernous underworlds. Dragons were usually a power of evil, and the slaying of a dragon the crowning achievement of heroes. Sigfried, Siegmund, Beowulf, Arthur, Tristram, and even Lancelot the "beau Ideal" of Medieval chivalry were all dragon slayers...The King Arthur legends are still continuously a part of our modern culture in motion pictures, art, music, & literature and are constantly evolving to the delight of ordinary people and defying historians everywhere. |
 "Defenders of the Faith" MMX
|
||||||||||||
|
The belief in dragons seems to have risen all over the world without even the slightest knowledge of dinosaurs...
The Boy King Bibliography/Acknowledgements Howard Pyle: "The Story of King Arthur and his Knights" T. H. White: "The Sword in the Stone" Mr. E. W. B. Nicholson, M.A. "Keltic Researches" John Rhys: "Studies in the Arthurian Legend" and " Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as Illustrated by Celtic Heathendom" Alfred Nutt: "Popular studies in Mythology, Romance, and Folklore" Nennius: Historia Britonum and "Le Mort D' Arthur" Sir Thomas Mallory Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( 1840- 1893) - "Swan Lake"
Thank you for visiting The King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table Art Gallery
If you enjoyed this gallery you might enjoy some of David's other themed Galleries, links are just below.
INDEX of GALLERIES Click on these Fun Educational Realistic Art Gallery icons for two-fisted tales of valor & frontline combat featuring legendary warriors of history, Olympian gods & monsters, mythic unicorns, dragons, fairies, & romance... Who is American Illustrator Howard David Johnson? In David's invitation to the Florence Biennale Contemporary Art Exhibition, (a partner in the United Nations' Dialog among Nations), UN Secretary General Kofi Anon wrote: "Artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to people; they speak for them. Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred and an agent of public awareness... Art opens new doors for learning, understanding, and peace among nations."
|
|||||||||||||
"Those who are enamoured of practice without science are like a pilot who goes into a ship without rudder or compass and never has any certainty where he is going. Practice should always be based upon a sound knowledge of theory, of which perspective is the guide and gateway, and without it nothing can be done well in any kind of painting."
In addition to his mastery of traditional media, Howard David Johnson now combines drawing, painting, photography, and digital media with more than thirty years of experience in these fields to create his Realistic Art Numérica in 21st century paintings and pictures. Did you know the Greek word "Photography" means "Painting with Light"? Today with the advent of computers it truly lives up to it's name. Due to developments in Art and Technology, a broader definition of painting is needed than that which is found in common usage. Announcing Art Numérica -an exciting merger of traditional visual art and cutting edge technology... a new art form for the twenty- first century... Art Numérica is not limited to realistic art but also offers limitless horizons for everything from cartoons to abstractions. It is the most dramatic development in the visual arts since the Renaissance. In the words of Al Jolson in the movie world's first talking picture" You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
"Painting, in art, the action of laying colour on a surface, or the representation of objects by this means. Considered one of the fine arts" ~Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Painting. noun. 1.) The act or employment of laying on colors or paints. 2.) The art of forming figures or objects in colors on canvas or any other surface, or the art of representing to the eye by means of figures and colors any object; the work of an illustrator or painter. 3.) A picture; a likeness or resemblance in shape or colors. 4.) Colors laid on. 5.) Delineation that raises a vivid image in the mind; as in word painting. ~ Webster's Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language
Essay Two : The Rebirth of Realism More thoughts on realistic art yesterday and today by the artist Art History has entered a new era with the birth of Art Numérica, or digital art media in the 21st century. Artists never stop exploring with mediums. Artists have been developing techniques, experimenting with different tools since at least twenty- five thousand years ago, when the first artist picked up a charred stick and scratched a picture out on the wall of his cave. You'd think everything would have been tried by now, but it hasn't. Exploring new mediums this very day is just as exciting, just as full of freshness and newness as it ever was.
Early abstract art masters proved themselves as realistic artists before delving into realms of the intangible. They had to do this at that time to prove themselves because of the challenges they faced from the establishment for going against the status quo. In the latter part of the 20th century, realistic artists like HDJ were challenged to do abstract art to prove themselves as shown in the example above (Deirdre of the sorrows). Later realistic art training was abandoned in most schools and things like splattering paint in fits of rage were deemed more than enough. By the end of the 20th century something as destructive and ridiculous as nailing a pack of cigarettes to a shoe was considered fine art but not realistic paintings. Fashions in art have often been as silly as fashions in ladies hats. As the century drew to a close, many people had had enough. The realistic revolt was at hand. The rebirth of realism was fueled by the advent of the digital era. Now, for the first time in almost two centuries, an artist or illustrator could earn a decent living again with his realistic art. This is historic. Realistic art is not going to go away, especially now that photography has truly merged with traditional realistic visual art. Photography comes from the Greek words meaning "painting with light". Now with the advent of digital media the capability of realistic art has become almost limitless, truly, "painting with light". The merger of all the world's art forms to realize the potential of motion pictures has come now to still realistic art media. This website for example, combines music, prose, poetry, photography and traditional realistic art media to create an experience beyond merely looking at realistic paintings. The twenty- first century is already seeing a new renaissance in the arts because of the world wide web. There has never been anything like it. Abstract art, computer art, photographic art, and realistic art are continuing to be separate schools of art but are also blending to create exciting new horizons. Although Digital art does offer completely new horizons to the artist in the 21st century it does not mean the end of our time honored art traditions. Instead, it offers additional ways to keep these traditions and schools of thought fresh and alive. ~ HDJ *****
HOW DO WE SORT OUT HISTORY AND MYTHOLOGY? A brief essay by the artist
As a professional Illustrator I am called upon to illustrate Legends of History and Mythology, Fact and Fantasy, the Sacred and the Profane. In as much as I have endeavored to sort them out accordingly, it has become one of the more fascinating challenges I have ever faced. As I am ever mentioning, the advances of science are constantly giving us a clearer view of the past even causing Mythology to become History as in the case of the Trojan Wars, the legendary Helen of Troy, and the Trojan Horse. The archaeological excavations of Troy may prove the existence of the city of Troy and the Trojan War. They in no way make The Iliad a history book however, because of the unprovable spiritual and religious occurrences in the narrative. This sorting out of myth and legend from history is no less difficult today because of their intertwining influences on one another. Consider as a more recent example of this problem, 20th century American President Theodore Roosevelt. He lives in history because of his heroic charge up San Juan hill with his legendary roughriders. When this story was printed in William Randolph Hearst's newspapers it catapulted him to fame and ushered him into the White House as a glorious American War Hero. Everyone has seen the paintings and statues of Teddy Roosevelt and his roughriders dressed in khaki, mounted on horseback and charging fearlessly forward waving their swords. In reality, it was a group of Heroic African American Buffalo Soldiers who took San Juan Hill in spite of their heavy casualties. They did not wear khaki. They were not mounted on horseback, but were foot soldiers in the same dark blue uniforms of the U.S. cavalry as worn during the Indian Wars. Roosevelt's group actually took a nearby Hill against light resistance but Hearst said that would not sell newspapers so he created an American Myth. So as we see, here is something taught to children in schools as history is just not true at all, but yet, this myth shaped the true history of the world in the 20th century and beyond. If Teddy Roosevelt had not been elected president, neither would his nephew, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who provided very real and crucial leadership during the Great Depression and the Second World War. Neither would Theodore Roosevelt have built the Panama Canal or established the conservation of our natural resources. So here we see Modern Myth not only influencing, but creating History. In reality, I perceive Theodore Roosevelt was a much greater president than history gives him credit for. Although it is true his kindness created the "Teddy Bear", He really was also fit and trim, vigorous and active, and a very tough president in his foreign policies. He was instrumental in America's emergence as a world power. It is also true that he came from the upper upper class - old money in New York with a background of great wealth and limitless luxury and chose to be an outdoorsman, a cowboy, and soldier. When he was given office, he embraced the concept of being a good Shepherd , of seeking justice for all Americans - for this he was called a "traitor to his class". Actually, he is the savior of his class. In my estimation, it is President Theodore Roosevelt who is most responsible for the end of the then imminent threat of communist revolution or takeover in America. Throughout the early 20th century Socialist Revolutions were sweeping across the globe. Conditions for the workers in America were appalling. Child Labor, dangerous working conditions, ungodly long hours, degradation, and shockingly low pay. When Karl Marx wrote his "Communist Manifesto" he never dreamed of an affluent MIDDLE class. A middle class that is comfortable and savoring, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is not going to rise up in murderous anger and "Storm the Bastile". What Global Communism could not contend with was America's happy and prosperous middle class. Theodore Roosevelt practically invented America's affluent middle class and eliminated the threat of Communist revolution in America. Although he was well loved, he was also hated and caught tremendous heat from the wealthy elite for sharing a small portion of their wealth with the common man. He saved them from a Second American Revolution by customizing capitalism to a kinder, gentler form than the horrors of the late 19th century. Like General Winfield Scott, who won The American Civil War before it started, he defeated his foes with an idea. If the Robber Barons had had their way, their greed could well have caused America to fall to communism. Today, we have a new generation of robber barons but no Teddy to stand up for the little guys. I feel the true history about American President Theodore Roosevelt is more amazing than the myth, but they are interwoven and inseparable, without the one, we would not have the other. He was both a glorious and a tragic figure. As a leader and as a man I believe he is badly underestimated. It was only when his beloved son, nicknamed "Quinnykins" died fighting in World War One that he finally saw through all the myths and glamour to see the awful truth about war face on. He never got over his guilt for glorifying war to his son. We could all learn a lot from his experiences. War costs money...trillions of dollars. War takes human lives...millions of them! War makes children old, breaks parent's hearts, kills morale. War destroys cities, art treasures, civilization! The first world war alone cost thirty million lives and 4 trillion dollars when adjusted to the buying power of modern U.S. dollars. With the money at the time we could have built a three bedroom two bath house furnished with fine hardwood furniture on five acres of quality land for every family in The United States, Canada, Australia, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and Russia. There would have been enough left to build and stock a first class library and a proper university in every town of 20,000 people or more. Out of the balance we could pay the salaries for life of 125,000 teachers and 125,000 nurses. The remaining balance could have bought 1919 Belgium and France and everything in them. I see History as an endless waltz. Three beats over and over. War, Peace, and Revolution. Three beats over and over in an endless cycle of death, destruction, and regeneration. An Endless Waltz... and those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to dance this deadly waltz and pay this Frightful price for War. As modern technology such as jet aircraft and thermonuclear missles make the world smaller & more dangerous everyday, tolerating each other's racial, social, & religious differences & living together in peace has now become key to the continued survival of mankind through the 21st century... ~H. D. Johnson *****
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ARCHIVAL REPRINTS LICENSES CUSTOM BOOK COVERS ORIGINAL ART ART INSTRUCTION ART BOOKS and CALENDARS
All images and text copyright 1982 - 2013 Howard David Johnson All rights reserved.
Thank you for visiting The King Arthur & the Knights of the Round Table Art Gallery
*****
