[Luc0s]

Hello fellow Witcher fans. I'm a game-design student and I need your help from the hardcore fans and if possible, the developers of The Witcher.


For my art history classes, I need to write an essay about games in relation to the history of art and culture. I have to choose a video-game series that draws inspiration from a certain art movement from a certain era (for example, the renaissance), analyze it, figure how the game is inspired by the art movement and then compare the game to pieces of art from the chosen art movement to see what they have in common and what they do not have in common.


Since I'm currently pretty hyped for The Witcher 2: Enhanced Edition (for the Xbox360) and since I loved The Witcher 1: Enhanced Edition, I decided to dedicate my essay to The Witcher series.


I know plenty of things about art, but I don't know as much about The Witcher as some of you guys do. That's why I I need your help. I need you guys to help me to figure out from which era and art movement The Witcher drew inspiration (if any) or which art movement The Witcher's game-art has most in common with.


So, which era, art movement and pieces of art (from that movement) you think The Witcher drew inspiration from and why?


Here is what I think so far:

I've checked the in-game era of The Witcher and compared it with the same era in real-life. The Witcher's story takes place in thr 13th century. The 13th century in real-life is the High Middle Ages. However, I don't think The Witcher's art and visuals have much in common with the art of the High Middle Ages.

The renaissance crossed my mind, which is the 14th century till the 17th century. The art in The Witcher 1 reminded me of DaVinci's and Michelangelo's art, though Michelangelo is much more refined and his work has much more detail than those pieces of art in The Witcher 1's cutscenes and epilogue. The color schemes also don't seem to match. The Witcher's art us much darker than Michelangelo or DaVinci.

Then I saw those Witcher 2 flashback scenes. They reminded me of woodcut art, or also known as xylography. The thing is, that the early wootcuts from the Middle Ages don't look anything like the flashback scenes of The Witcher 2. Those scenes in The Witcher 2 look much more like the more modern woodcuts from the 17th century and later, for example Carl Eugen Keel's woodcuts. But Carl Eugen Keel lived in the 19th century. I don't think The Witcher has much in common with the 19th century, not at all.



So, what do you guys think? And how about you, RED developers? What can you tell me about this? Could any developer from The Witcher please comment on this and help me out with this assignment?

[ISL]

there is a dev diary from last year that talks about which cultures inspired the devs.

[wisielec]

You are in the tight spot
I imagine TW is a mixed bag of goods. It takes old material like legends and art style and converts it or hints to modern styles and way of thinking. Its like characters from the setting are too smart and educated, they think ahead what would be high middle ages or renessaince. EG.: talks about genes and mutations, perpetuum mobile, knowledge about solar system etc.
The same is with art I think.

[Luc0s]

wisielec said:

You are in the tight spot
I imagine TW is a mixed bag of goods. It takes old material like legends and art style and converts it or hints to modern styles and way of thinking. Its like characters from the setting are too smart and educated, they think ahead what would be high middle ages or renessaince. EG.: talks about genes and mutations, perpetuum mobile, knowledge about solar system etc.
The same is with art I think. ›››

Smart observation. I never realized that DNA, genes and genetic mutations are a very modern discovery in real-life and actually have no place in a medieval fantasy setting. Still The Witcher managed to pull it off and they did a good job at it. I never ever though it was weird to hear medieval characters talking about genetics in The Witcher.


So, which art movements you do think inspired The Witcher?

[Luc0s]

ISL said:

there is a dev diary from last year that talks about which cultures inspired the devs. ›››

Which diary? Could you please help me find it or give me a push into the right direction? I'd much appreciate it!

[ISL]

Luc0s said:

Which diary? Could you please help me find it or give me a push into the right direction? I'd much appreciate it! ›››

I think its this one

[Luc0s]

ISL said:

I think its this one ›››

Thanks! This will certainly help me into the right direction!

[ISL]

happy to assist

[Kodaemon]

For TW1 flashbacks, definitely take a look at polish symbolist painter Jacek Malczewski (1854 - 1929).

Most obvious inspiration:

Dandelion and the wraiths from TW1


Malczewski's "The Polish Hamlet"

[Luc0s]

Kodaemon said:

For TW1 flashbacks, definitely take a look at polish symbolist painter Jacek Malczewski (1854 - 1929).

Most obvious inspiration:

Dandelion and the wraiths from TW1


Malczewski's "The Polish Hamlet"
›››

This is perfect! This is exactly what I need! Great job and thank you so much!

[secondchildren]

Oh lord... always so much confusion when talking about history!

Renaissance IS NOT from 14th to 17th cen.
The 17th century is the hera of the Three Muskeeters, Rois Soleil (Luis XIV) and Galileo's atronomical early discoveries.

The scholars put the Renaissance between 1492 and 1527.
1492 - Date of discovery of America, death of Lorenzo de' Medici
1527 - invasion and pillaging of Rome by French and Spanish armies.

Three years later, 1530, there were the Council of Trento and the Catholic Counter-riformation, persecuting, killing and burning everybody or everything which the Church considered heretic or Protestant.

The Witcher can be considered to be set prior this hera, between 1400-1480. More or less. This especially by watching The Witcher clothing and armors.

[slimgrin]

It says 13th century in the game. 1271 to be exact.

[Luc0s]

secondchildren said:

Oh lord... always so much confusion when talking about history!

Renaissance IS NOT from 14th to 17th cen.
The 17th century is the hera of the Three Muskeeters, Rois Soleil (Luis XIV) and Galileo's atronomical early discoveries.

The scholars put the Renaissance between 1492 and 1527.
1492 - Date of discovery of America, death of Lorenzo de' Medici
1527 - invasion and pillaging of Rome by French and Spanish armies.

Three years later, 1530, there were the Council of Trento and the Catholic Counter-riformation, persecuting, killing and burning everybody or everything which the Church considered heretic or Protestant.

The Witcher can be considered to be set prior this hera, between 1400-1480. More or less. This especially by watching The Witcher clothing and armors. ›››

I was under the impression that the renaissance lasted pretty long. A quick look at the DUTCH Wikipedia page of the renaissance showed me that you're right though. Look like the English Wikipedia is wrong and needs to be updated. The English version of Wikipedia says the renaissance lasted till roughly the 17th century.

But thanks for your input!

[Luc0s]

slimgrin said:

It says 13th century in the game. 1271 to be exact. ›››

Yes, I already said that in my opening post. The thing is though, that the art of The Witcher seems to resemble the Renaissance much more than the High Middle Ages (13th century). I don't see much resemblance of the High Middle Ages in The Witcher.

[slimgrin]

I'm not enough of a history buff to make a distinction when it comes to clothing and armor styles to say whether it's high middle ages or Renaissance. If we were talking about the art of those time periods it'd be easy.

I had likened the flashbacks to early woodcuts but I was wrong. They are more like early modern ones like you say, but it's all speculation. Maybe the artist didn't even have wood cuts in mind.

[secondchildren]

@Slimgrin
Yes but I doubt that in TW universe, Jesus Christ is born in 0 A.D. I doubt there's any Jesus Christ at all.
TW is a fantasy so there have been no Greek then Roman hera, no High and Low Middle Ages, no Renaissance and so on.

Quote

Maybe the artist didn't even have wood cuts in mind.

I have the sense that he might have F.Miller in mind.

@Luc0s
Then English Wikipedia is wrong. The 17th century is actually known as "Baroque", specifically referring to art and music.

[Luc0s]

secondchildren said:

Then English Wikipedia is wrong. The 17th century is actually known as "Baroque", specifically referring to art and music. ›››

I knew that, but I was always under the impression that Baroque was part of the Renaissance movement. Seems I was wrong all the time. Now I feel ashamed. As an art student I should have known better.

I brought shame upon myself! Now I'm forced to commit seppuku.

[secondchildren]

Luc0s said:

I knew that, but I was always under the impression that Baroque was part of the Renaissance movement. Seems I was wrong all the time. Now I feel ashamed. As an art student I should have known better.

I brought shame upon myself! Now I'm forced to commit seppuku. ›››

Baroque is a different and distinctive movement. Instead, the Rococò is pretty close to Baroque, it's a sort of sumptuos evolution of Baroque, and it mostly set in the 30s of 1700.

The latest Renaissance movement is also known as Manierismo (Mannerism).

Shoudln't be ashamed of anything
You're young and still a student, you cannot know any single details of history. Nobody can actually (thanks wikipedia for exhisting). And as I told you, there always so much confusion about it!

Anyway, I've contacted Wikipedia staff, saying that Renaissance page contains a mistake. I've also checked Ducth, French and Italian Wikipedia and all three report the correct date.

[Luc0s]

secondchildren said:

Baroque is a different and distinctive movement. Instead, the Rococò is pretty close to Baroque, it's a sort of sumptuos evolution of Baroque, and it mostly set in the 30s of 1700.

The latest Renaissance movement is also known as Manierismo (Mannerism).

Shoudln't be ashamed of anything
You're young and still a student, you cannot know any single details of history. Nobody can actually (thanks wikipedia for exhisting). And as I told you, there always so much confusion about it!

Anyway, I've contacted Wikipedia staff, saying that Renaissance page contains a mistake. I've also checked Ducth, French and Italian Wikipedia and all three report the correct date. ›››

Thanks for the clarification and kind words. You've been a great help so far. You're too kind.

[Corylea]

slimgrin said:

It says 13th century in the game. 1271 to be exact. ›››

1271 in AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE. We have no idea what they date their Year 0 from, but it's almost certainly not from the birth of Jesus.

Sapkowski's work is a hodgepodge of medieval and modern stuff. His books are full of things that would be considered serious anachronisms if he were writing about Earth's medieval period, but he's not, and since he's writing about an alternate universe, he can throw in anything he wants.