In August 2025 I gave a talk at the Mythopoeic Society’s OMS (which I’d attended for a few years without daring to apply). This presentation is, as is often the case with my talks, largely taken from a chapter of my PhD. This time, I explore the concept of visual beauty in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium, through the rather telling example of Lúthien, and what that means for artists commissioned to illustrate her in official editions sanctionned by the Tolkien Estate, namely Alan Lee and Ted Nasmith. Depiste focusing on these two well-known names, I made it a point to include a lot of stunning fan-art in my powerpoint presentation, and to add a coda at the end about diversity.
The recording is available to watch here (click). Please ignore the technical glitch at the start.
