Pete's post yesterday started with his inspiration from one of the most seminal pieces of art in Warhammer 40,000 history.
The full view of the iconic John Sibbick artwork from Rogue Trader:
As a kid, this was the first time I had seen anything like it. The space marines were obviously very tough and well-armed, and yet they were huddled together, back-to-back, fighting off a mostly unseen, but obviously overwhelming foe coming from all directions. And still they fought on defiantly.
This theme was replicated numerous times in other 40k art, but this is the piece that first defined it for us: the dark and desperate future, where even humanity's finest are fighting desperately for their very survival, and failing that, the honor of a glorious last stand. It helped set the mood for the game, described by Rick Priestly as "...a dark and terrible era where you will find little comfort or hope."
It also established space marines vs orks as one of the essential matchups of the game, something we have mostly stuck to over the decades.
It was only 30 years later that I happened to come across this piece on the Battle of Sedan while reading a book on battles that changed history:
This painting was contemporary to the battle, which took place in 1870 and was the decisive battle of the Franco-Prussian War. The parallels are quite interesting to me, and I wonder if it played a role in influencing John Sibbick. The heroes, wearing bold blue and red, are surrounded by enemies and engulfed in the smoke and explosions of combat. The dead and dying litter the foreground. Yet they defiantly hold up their flag and continue to fight to the last. The enemies are closing in - and even wearing spiked helmets. (The concept of orks as representative of "Huns", and Germans also being referred to as Huns, is a whole separate topic.)
Whether the influence is direct or indirect, I find it very cool. It also makes me want to paint an Imperial Guard regiment based on the 19th century French army...
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