We were asked in class why we thought it was important to look at Tolkien's art for his stories, and I haven't been able to get that thought out of my head.
Someone mentioned that its interesting to get the author's vision of what the world and the people looked like, and I definitely agree with that. I also think that his art shows important symbolism which might be lost if we didn't have his vision. For instance, the dust jacket for The Return of the King includes the symbol of Aragorn's future throne and crown as well as the magical tree which resides in Minas Tirith. As a reader, seeing these symbols before even reading the book creates a sense of anticipation and magic as the reader thinks about what these symbols could mean. I think Tolkien's art is so important to creating the right mental space and environment for the audience to read his words in.
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