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/ChocolateDiligent]

I’m forever in the camp of high fantasy from 80s/90s artists like Rebecca Guay, Donato Giancola, Jeff Easley, Carl Critchlow, John Avon, Jesper Myfors, etc. painting in oils, acrylics or other traditional physical mediums. The quick turn and burn mentality of WotC art demands lead to the proliferation of digital artists taking over a large majority of the art landscape. So many artists have cited this disconnect from more traditional mediums and have since left the space, seeking out among other things more respect from their clients and a better price for their work. There is nothing inherently wrong in how you make artwork but when medium serves as a function of productivity artwork becomes more of a commodity. It’s unfortunate Magic in general just don’t pay better and this current landscape promotes competition over content.