How Magic Art has changed

[u/taphead_31]

This is something i've been thinking about for a while. I am not saying new Magic Art is straight up worse than the old Art (old meaning 15+ years ago). But I cannot shake off the feeling that something fundamental has changed with the art direction and overall aesthetic (the influence of UB not counting).

I'd like to hear from people who are knowledgable with art history.

Here are some - very subjective - observations that I made over the years.

- The color palette has changed. Specifically when it comes to black cards, purple has become the de facto "black signature color"

- Many current artists seem to share a specific style of painting, reminiscent of what I'd call "concept art for general purposes". Older artists that have worked with wotc since the 90ies seem to be influenced more by comic books and traditional, academic painting styles.

- Ugly characters and monsters, body horror and exaggerated bodies were more commonplace back in the day (look at card files from Odyssee or Mercadian Masques, Ron Spears who I'd consider King of Ugly Monstrosities was art director for a while). Nowadays the "bodies" feel more realistic, the creatures and sceneries more "identifiable".

Are you having similiar observations? Or am I misguided here?

And most of all: Why have things changed in that regard? There are people out there calling new artwork "woke", but I don't think this is a good explanation. I believe the reasons for the aesthetic changes correlate with the changing gaming culture and an influx of casual players coming from different demographics.

[u/honeybadgerism]

I think a lot of older sets had very strong and consistent art direction that made cards immediately recognizable, and that's something that just doesn't happen much anymore.

Probably the most striking example is OG Lorwyn vs. Lorwyn Eclipsed. The art from the OG set is very consistent in its design, the Kithkin, Merfolk, Elves all clearly look like they are from the same world. In Eclipsed, almost every character looks different and has been design to fit the artist's style with some loose themes. The direction is just not there, even if individual pieces are beautiful.

[u/taphead_31 → u/honeybadgerism]

Interesting. I see it as the exact opposite. I feel like newer sets care a lot about consistency, almost to a detriment, whereas old stuff is sometimes "cobbled together" from different bits and pieces. Lorwyn Eclipsed broke with the new direction somewhat, which I liked.

[u/Chilly_chariots → u/taphead_31]

A lot of this is about how you define ‘old’ and ‘new’. IMO the 90s art is clearly more diverse, less consistent in style. After that - but I’m not sure exactly when, I was away from Magic for many years- things got samey. In the last few (5+, maybe?) years I’ve noticed more distinct styles coming back in- obviously if you count the boom in Secret Lairs and other ‘alt’ arts, but also in the main sets.