The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell

The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell…two of my favorite things…art and the female form, this was going to be a treat. As everyone knows I am not a learned art critic, but I feel I keep up on my fantasy art: Vallejo, Bell, Elmore, Lockwood, Parkinson, etc… While viewing their art you can tell that there is something special in Boris and Julie. The transcend their relationship as artists; it is their uncanny ability to depict the human form that is reminiscent of the great renaissance masters. This is not just fantasy art folks. When Boris and Julie paint it is Art with no need for any other label.

This is a book, not a canvas, so Boris and Julie get to provide blurbs that accompany the artwork which are quite insightful. Have you ever been in an art gallery and wondered what the artist was thinking? Well wonder no longer. Each piece of art can be looked at over and over again and new nuances found and alternate meaning found, new and different stories told in each painting as you go back and look at them repeatedly. You will need to fully appreciate each piece of art, to digest it in multiple sittings to get full enjoyment here.

Some of my favorite pieces of art from this book are listed below; every piece is appealing in its own right, and this is only a matter of personal taste.

Alfa by Julie Bell 2002
Russian Fairy, Julie Bell, 2002
Dangerous Kiss, Julie Bell 1994
End of the Day, Julie Bell, 2003
Dragon’s Mentor Julie Bell 2000
Dueling Bitches, Julie Bell 1996
The Storyteller, Julie Bell, 2002
Brinke, Julie Bell, 1995
Young Apollo, Julie Bell 1997

The Hippocampus, Boris Vallejo, 1991
Serpent Song, Boris Vallejo, 1994
Tara, Boris Vallejo, 1997
Amber, Boris Vallejo, 1994
Julie Strain, Boris Vallejo, 1996
Bird woman, Boris Vallejo, 2002
A Second of Forever, Boris Vallejo, 1994

Another interesting concept that the husband and wife team do from time to time are the collaboration pieces. From my understanding they both do their own artwork and then by use of the digital magic that is available these days, the two pieces are combined with very impressive results. Vampires, Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell, 2004 is one such piece that came out exquisite, they think and paint on the same wavelength, one would not be surprised if they finished each others sentences at the dinner table. One thing that I got to take away from Boris in his brief blurbs throughout the book is how he interprets myths. “Since Myths are not true, I have flexibility to interpret them as I please.” I thought this was a pretty refreshing take on the myths of old and it really shows Boris’ ability to look way past where a story takes place to some sort of inner beauty and interpretation.

There are a few things I would like to comment on as I took in the book that are personal preference only. Boris and Julie mostly use body builders as models for their pieces, and one can appreciate the physique needed to survive in the imaginative worlds that are created I think sometimes I wished for a little regular beauty if you know what I mean. Another thing I find a bit fun while reading this book was the following. I would look at the hairstyle of the model in the piece of art and then try to guess within 5 years of when it was created. I got really good at this game and I could feel at sometimes their artwork could be dated a bit, as I looked at the beauty of the 1970s I didn’t connect with it as much as some of the newer work (which you can tell from my favorite pieces of the book listed above). Also be warned there is tasteful nudity and one rather phallic piece which made me cringe a little bit.

I would love to see the studio of Boris and Julie, they live rather close so maybe I can cross my fingers make some calls and talk them into an interview for the wonderful readers of Fantasybookspot. When you read a book and you have a perfect picture of what a fantasy world looks like, Boris and Julie can bring that perfection to life. With vivid and imaginative characters and settings, you can picture each of these women as a central figure in a wonderful fantasy story.