Alan Lee

Alan Lee in 2003

Alan Lee (born August 20, 1947 in Middlesex, England) is an English painter, book illustrator, and movie conceptual designer.

He and John Howe are considered the foremost portrayers of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology; much of their work was authoritative in the art direction behind Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

For Alan Lee's art on this wiki, click here.

Biography

Alan Lee was educated at Ealing School of Art in London. He went on to illustrate many fantasy books such as the centenary edition of The Lord of the Rings, Faeries (with Brian Froud), The Mabinogion, Castles and Merlin Dreams. His own art style can be described as realist - his key influences have been British book illustrators Arthur Rackham (1867 - 1939) and Charles Robinson (1870–1937).

He won the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in 1993 for Black Ships before Troy and the Best Artist Award at the World Fantasy Awards of 1998.

"To draw a tree, to pay such close attention to every aspect of a tree, is an act of reverence not only toward the tree, and toward the earth itself, but also our human connection to it. This is one of the magical things about drawing—it gives us almost visionary moments of connectedness."

—Alan Lee

Having reached significance as illustrators, Lee and John Howe were chosen to act as the lead artists of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, starting in 2000. Lee illustrated many of the scenarios for the movies, including objects and weapons for the actors. The depiction of the portrayal of Helm's Deep was primarily conceived by Lee. Costume personnel Ngila Dickson considered him a "team leader" of the crew of designers. In 2004, Lee won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction for his work on the third film in the trilogy, The Return of the King. He made cameo appearances in the other two films.

"To be working alongside him is humbling but...also great fun. His wealth of emotional knowledge regarding Middle-earth is astonishing."

—Jeremy Bennett, VFX art director for The Two Towers film

Lee has also worked as a conceptual designer on the films Legend, Erik the Viking and King Kong and the television miniseries Merlin. John Howe and he would later work again with Peter Jackson, on The Hobbit film trilogy beginning in 2011.

Alan Lee in 2018 at the Edinburgh National Book Festival

A major portfolio of Lee's Middle-earth illustrations was published in 2005 as The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook, which gained immense popularity. In 2008, Lee provided an Afterword in Tales from the Perilous Realm, for which he illustrated. He went on to provide cover and interior drawings for the publications of Tolkien's Great Tales: The Children of Húrin, Beren and Lúthien, and The Fall of Gondolin. On the release of The Fall of Gondolin, Alan Lee toured in August and September 2018, giving talks and live illustrations at various locations in England, primarily for Waterstones Picadilly bookshop in London.

He resides with his family in Chagford, Devonshire, England.

Illustration appearances

J.R.R. Tolkien publications

• The Fall of Númenor and Other Tales from the Second Age of Middle-earth (2022)
• Unfinished Tales of Númenor and Middle-earth: Illustrated Edition]] (2020)
• The Fall of Gondolin (2018)
• Beren and Lúthien (2017)
• Tales from the Perilous Realm (2008)
• The Children of Húrin (2007)
• The Lord of the Rings: 50th Anniversary One-Volume Edition (2004)
• The End of The Third Age: The History of the Lord of the Rings, Part Four (Cover art) (2000)
• Publication of The Hobbit (1997)
• Publication of Sauron Defeated by Houghton Mifflin (1992)
• Publications of The Lord of the Rings (1988, 1992)
• First publication of The Return of the Shadow by Houghton Mifflin (1988)

His own publications

• The Hobbit Sketchbook (2020)
• The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook (2005)

Other

• Tolkien Calendar 2021 (2020)
• Tolkien Calendar 2020 (2019)
• Tolkien Calendar 2019 (2018)
• Tom Shippey's The Road to Middle-earth (1997 & 2005 Houghton Mifflin editions)
• Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-earth (1996)
• David Day's Tolkien's Ring (1994)
• Tolkien's World: Paintings of Middle-earth (1992)
• The 1987 J.R.R. Tolkien Calendar

Numerous sketches and colored drawings of Lee are shown in Gary Russell's The Art of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Art of The Two Towers, and The Art of The Return of the King, covering the concept art behind Peter Jackson's first film trilogy. Illustrations are also seen in documentaries such as J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien (1996).

Documentary appearances

This is a list of personal appearances.

• An Awfully Big Adventure: J.R.R. Tolkien (1998) (Illustrations and commentary)
• The Lord of the Rings film trilogy appendices (2002 - 2004)
  • Part One: From Book to Vision  >  Designing and Building Middle-earth
  • Part Four: The Battle for Middle-earth Begins  >  Visual Effects  >  Miniatures and Weta Digital
  • Part Five: The War of the Ring  >  Designing and Building Middle-earth  >  Designing Middle-earth and Big-atures
  • Part Six: The Passing of an Age  >  Visual Effects  >  Weta Digital

Awards

• 1978 - Locus Awards, best illustrated book (Nominated)
• 1989 - Chesley Awards, Best Interior Illustration, for book Merlin's Dreams
• 1993 - CILIP, Kate Greenaway Medal for best children's book illustration
• 1998 - World Fantasy Convention, award for Best Artist
• 1998 - Chesley Awards, Best Interior Illustration, for a publication of The Hobbit
• 2000 - Spectrum Fantastic Art, Grand Master Award
• 2002 - NBR Award, Best Production Design/Art Direction, for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
• 2003 - Visual Effect Society Award, Best Effects Art Direction in a Motion Picture, for The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
• 2004 - Academy Award, Best Art Direction or Set Decoration, for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
• 2004 - Golden Satellite Award, Best Art Direction, for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Film cameos

Lee, second from right, as one of the Kings given the Nine Rings of Power

Alan Lee played one of the nine Kings of Men, future Nazgûl, in the Prologue of The Fellowship of the Ring, as well as a Man of Rohan in The Two Towers, and a Lake-town musician in The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. These three roles were uncredited.

External links

• Alan Lee at Wikipedia
• Alan Lee at the Internet Movie Database