the point was not that you should have listed more gods and demigods, but that there is mythology without them in the main role
no one was talking about feats… of course a wizard can do crazy things, I did not question her ability to levitate…
And there are stories where Superman isn't the man hero, just a blur in the sky above as some vigilante with powers handles the true underbelly of crime. Or do the words "street level hero" not mean anything to you? I explicitly stated that this was about larger mythological "settings" and that stories of individual lesser heroes were not enough to debunk my point. Yet here you are, making that exact claim.
Sure, the wizard in the golden robes in her high conservatory is all pretty and powerful, that doesn't immediately mean that three miles away there isn't an urchin knifing a guy for his boots. That urchin just isn't the focus of art meant to inspire people into thinking "I want THAT"
sure, I do not think anyone disagreed with that being the intent, it still is a pointless superhero pose for the sake of posing, and that just does not sit well with my take on what I consider D&D to be and fantasy are more broadly
And she isn't posing for the sake of posing. So there is no problem.
I believe I said so, yes
depends on what you consider the goal of the art should be… I am not disagreeing with that being the goal of this picture, but I rather have it tell a story though than to be content with the message being ‘behold how awesome I am’. That does not inspire me, I’d rather have inspirational than aspirational
To tell a story, you need more space. Even the Dwarf Fighter picture isn't telling a story, it is a snapshot of the moment. Sure, you can tell there is a battle going on, but that isn't a story either.
And the purpose of this art is aspirational, I can appreciate wanting inspiration instead, but that is for the other art in the book, not this piece. Especially considering we know where this piece is going in the book, it isn't without context (within the larger message of the book) it is a piece to designate "wizard" and show what they can be. The pictures that are going to be telling stories are going to go elsewhere.
no, none of the changes you mentioned have to lose what I like about the art (they can, but so would low level sci-fi art), it still tells a story, it still is a realistic depiction (as far as powerful wizards can be that…) and it still is not a context free superhero power pose
Something like this maybe
View attachment 356498
The soaking wet, barefoot woman with her clothes clinging appealingly to her skin? Sure her hand is glowing, but she looks like she just barely escaped being washed down the stream, and about to enter into a desperate battle for her survival rather than someone powerful and in control. I mean she is literally on the backfoot.
It isn't bad art, in fact I kind of like the art, that two-headed dragon is sick looking, but it doesn't portray to me "wizardly power and control", she looks like an elven princess who got punked for being huffy towards her more worldly companions and is going to be complaining about being out in the woods without her luxuries.
pretty much any picture has poses, I complained about it being a superhero pose for the sake of posing, with no context / story to it. None of this is true here
you can float and not power pose at the same time
They aren't posing for the sake of posing. You may not have the art for the full story of the moment, but that doesn't mean it is completely absent. Heck, for all you know there will be another piece of art on the opposite page that gives the story you want from this art. Or it will be one of those series of arts that tell a story over the book.
yep, that is how poses work, if you arms or legs are in different positions then it is not the same pose (at most it still is a similar one). I hope I am not telling you something new here
As to ascensions, I see them as passive, something that is happening to you. You are caught in God’s tractor beam, ymmv
My mileage does vary. Ascensions can be passive, but they can also occur when you tap into an energy source larger than your head, or otherwise push yourself beyond mortal limits by unleashing power.
But, from your earlier comments above, I suppose you also disliked all of the 3.5 PHB art for being without context and posing for the sake of posing? I mean, there wasn't a single story amongst the lot of them, by your measure.