Jakub Rozalski
Jakub Rozalski | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 (age 44-45) Koszalin, Poland |
| Education | Wyzsza Szkola Sztuki Stosowanej |
| Known for |
|
| Notable work | Scythe |
| Style |
|
| Website | jrozalski |
Jakub Rozalski (born 1981), also known as Mr. Werewolf, is a Polish artist. He is best known as the illustrator of the board game Scythe and related paintings, commonly featuring mythical, fantastical beasts, robots and similar concepts. His style combines the classic art style of late 18th and early 19th century paintings with modern fantasy and science fiction concepts.
Biography
[edit]Rozalski was born in Koszalin, Poland, in 1981.[1] He graduated from the Wyzsza Szkola Sztuki Stosowanej in Poznan, and resides in Krakow.[1][2]
Works
[edit]
Rozalski created concept art illustrations for the 2017 Kong: Skull Island film.[3] In 2018, an artbook featuring his works, titled Howling at the Moon, was published.[4][5]
The 2016 board game Scythe was inspired by his art; Rozalski has contributed dozens of illustrations for the game.[2][6] It is the first major work in what Rozalski calls the 1920+ universe, set in an alternative history universe, around the time of the Polish-Soviet War, but incorporating science fiction elements like dieselpunk or steampunk airships and mecha.[2][3][4][7][8][9] This style has also been described as inspired by classic works by Jozef Chelmonski, but updated for the new century; as "The Witcher meets mecha".[10] The next major installment in the 1920+ series is the Iron Harvest real-time strategy video game, in development by King Art Games, announced in 2016.[3][11] The game had a successful crowdfunding phase in 2018 and has been released in September 2020.[12]
Influences
[edit]In 2017 a short film by Neill Blomkamp, based on Rozalski's works and showing an alternate 15th century era around the time of the Battle of Grunwald, was announced.[13]
In 2018, a Polish science-fiction short story anthology, inspired by his art, titled Inne swiaty Jakuba Rozalskiego (Other Worlds of Jakub Rozalski) was published. Writers who published stories in the anthology were Sylwia Chutnik, Jacek Dukaj, Aneta Jadowska, Anna Kantoch, Jakub Malecki, Remigiusz Mroz, Lukasz Orbitowski, Robert J. Szmidt, Aleksandra Zielinska, and Jakub Zulczyk.[14][15]
Jamey Stegmaier noted that Rozalski "[...] used some references [...] and photos from the internet, in several [works] (maybe 10, maybe more) [by] track[ing] photo[s] in 1:1, for some elements like: horses or pigs, cow[s], or specific parts, even some characters."[16]
Artistic style
[edit]Rozalski's style combines the classic art style of painters like Ivan Shishkin, Isaac Levitan, Jozef Brandt, Aleksander Gierymski, and Jozef Chelmonski, whom he cites as highly influential on his style, with modern fantasy and science fiction concepts.[2][4][8][9]
Recognition
[edit]Since 2018 his works have been part of the permanent exhibition in the Museum of Magical Realism "Ochorowiczowka" in Wisla, Poland.[6] That same year, Rozalski received the Annual Award of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in the field of "digital culture".[17]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "JAKUB ROZALSKI | Kwartalnik o sztuce Artysta i Sztuka". Artysta i Sztuka (in Polish). Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Jakub Rozalski - The art of Mr.Werewolf". CFYE Magazine. June 29, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Painter's Art Turns into Video Game with Dieselpunk Robots". Culture.pl. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b c Liptak, Andrew (March 17, 2018). "Jakub Rozalski's Howling at the Moon is a beautiful art book that merges real and fictional worlds". The Verge. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Rozalski, Jakub (2018). Howling at the moon (First ed.). Canada. ISBN 9781775070719. OCLC 1031116212.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Informacje (May 14, 2018). "Jakub Rozalski w Ochorowiczowce". Ochorowiczowka - Muzeum Magicznego Realizmu (in Polish). Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Jakub Rozalski's Alternate History of Europe". Culture.pl. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b "Roboty jak z 'Gwiezdnych Wojen' w Bitwie Warszawskiej? Nowy wymiar historii na obrazach Jakuba Rozalskiego". tvp.info (in Polish). March 21, 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ a b Liptak, Andrew (January 30, 2016). "Jakub Rozalski's Art is an Exercise in Alternate History Contrasts". io9. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Sokoluk, Tomasz (January 2017). "Scythe: Workerzy na mechy!" (PDF). Rebel Times (in Polish) (112): 3-7.
- ^ Hall, Charlie (November 3, 2016). "Iron Harvest is a new diesel punk RTS based on alternate history WWI (updated)". Polygon. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Purchase Iron Harvest on Steam".
- ^ Hall, Charlie (November 22, 2017). "Scythe artist's latest project is a short film by Neill Blomkamp's experimental studio". Polygon. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ Kizlich, Michal (July 25, 2018). ""Inne Swiaty" -- Antologia inspirowana pracami Jakuba Rozalskiego". Medium. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ ""Inne Swiaty". Chutnik, Dukaj, Orbitowski i inni. Przeczytaj fragmenty opowiadan inspirowanych obrazami Jakuba Rozalskiego". Gazeta Wyborcza. May 22, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- ^ "Seems like Jakub Rozalski isn't very truthful about his art (From r/Conceptart/) : Boardgames".
- ^ Doroczne Nagrody Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego wreczone MKiDN - Wydarzenia 2018 (in Polish), retrieved April 16, 2019
Further reading
[edit]- Maszota, Kinga (June 2018). "Inne swiaty Jakuba Rozalskiego" [Other worlds of Jakub Rozalski]. Nowa Fantastyka (in Polish). No. 429. Proszynski Media. ISSN 0867-132X.
