With a portfolio that spans such prestigious properties as Lord of The Rings, Warhammer, and Call of Cthulhu, French illustrator Magali Villeneuve’s influence extends far beyond her work for Magic: The Gathering. Said work does, however, represent some of the very best the game, or any game, has to offer.
Villeneuve has a strong signature style that can be seen across all of her work, her key calling cards being intricate detail, striking composition, and tasteful use of downbeat lighting. These elements ebb and flow as appropriate across her wide range of pieces, but all three can be seen, in part at least, in everything she does. Today, we’re looking at her greatest works for the greatest card game of all time.
10 Death’s Shadow
A lot of Villeneuve’s work has a classical edge to it, appearing at first glance to be the work of some Renaissance master or another. Death’s Shadow is the piece in which this style is perhaps most evident, showing a gold-masked figure of death embracing a recently-deceased warrior on a bed of blue flowers in what could be a scene right out of a Biblical epic.
The power of this piece lies in the self-contained contrast of life and death it presents to the viewer. The scene at face value is morbid, but both the dead person and the figure tasked with overseeing their death are portrayed as beautiful, well-lit in their sparkling finery. It’s a stellar piece that takes pride of place in Villeneuve’s Secret Lair Drop.
9 Dulcet Sirens
Sirens are a monster as old as fantasy itself and have seen a range of diverse portrayals in Magic alone, never mind elsewhere. Villeneuve’s take is particularly interesting, though, for a number of reasons. Chief among these is how she showcases the duality of the Siren, both the allure and the danger, so efficiently.
The two Sirens shown here are beautiful, yes, but in a subdued, almost melancholy way. The artifacts of their previous conquests, scattered bones and gleaming coins, are laid out in plain sight, tearing down the facade that most Sirens maintain at all costs. The seashell harp, held in one of the Sirens’ hands, reminds us that music is key to their power, giving us a fully-realized vision of an iconic creature.
8 Identity Thief
The idea of the ‘evil twin,’ an exact copy of an individual with malicious intentions, has been explored throughout Magic’s history. However, never has the ‘evil’ part seemed so appropriate as in Villeneuve’s take on the concept. The Shapeshifter shown here has trapped their unfortunate victim in some kind of mirror realm, watching their torment from the real world with a wry grin on their face.
It’s a brilliant creative piece, full of great touches; like the tortured expression on the victim’s face, and the clutching hands behind him, of which there are more than two, giving a hint as to the otherworldly nature of the horror that’s slowly pulling him in.
7 Search For Azcanta/Azcanta, The Sunken Ruin
Perfectly capturing the journey of Ixalan’s Merfolk as they discover the lost city of Azcanta, this two-part piece is an epic voyage in microcosm. Beginning with the front face, we see the Merfolk making their way downriver in a lush jungle, huge, colorful mushrooms breaking up the traditional greenery.
On the back face, the city itself is revealed, glorious even in its ruin. The domes, stairs, and bridges strewn around hint at the grandeur the city embodied in its prime, while the moss growing over its intricate carvings leave the viewer in no doubt that said prime has long since passed.
6 Patient Rebuilding
A break from tradition for Villeneuve, who tends towards the subdued rather than the colorful, this depiction of arch-villain Nicol Bolas putting one of his trademark schemes into motion is a treat for the eyes. The Dragon-God stands at the edge of a large body of water, his ambitions reflected in bright yellows and oranges on its still surface.
The color is appropriate, given the vision represents Bolas’ hopes and dreams, and it forms a strong contrast with the real world shown above the water line, where the skies are darker, and the villain’s work has only just begun.
5 Thalia, Guardian Of Thraben
Three things in life are certain: death, taxes, and great artwork on Thalia, Guardian of Thraben cards. Villeneuve keeps this tradition alive with her new take on the character for Innistrad: Crimson Vow, setting a much richer scene than past iterations. Thalia is shown preparing to defend an Innistrad church from an undead horde here, sword at the ready, an expression of grim determination on her face.
The church itself, with its drapes, candles, and carvings, all wrapped in a thick blanket of shadow, is atmospheric enough. But the cold, reaching hands of the undead, clearly visible in the stained-glass window behind, make the piece dark in the figurative sense as well as the literal.
4 Seraph Of The Scales
A piece that achieves a delicate balance of light and dark, Villeneuve’s vision of an Orzhov Angel shines through its simplicity. The canvas is essentially divided in two here, with the bright city spires of Ravnica on the right and the shadowy figure of the Seraph on the left. Depicting an Angel like this is an interesting choice and essential to the piece’s central thesis of balance.
Everything here is carefully weighted, appropriate given the card’s name and the literal Scales the Seraph is shown to hold. For every flash of golden robe, the Seraph is given a shock of jet-black hair. It’s a great idea well-executed and a clever way of reconciling the conflicting color identities of black and white on a single card.
3 Rakshasa’s Secret
The Rakshasa were a unique take on Demons from Tarkir block, blending their tricksy nature with Cat-like ferocity and wiles to great effect. This piece brings us up close and personal with a Rakshasa and their victim, letting us feel their fell influence up close.
This influence is conveyed to the viewer in two ways: in the vacant, devastated expression on the victim’s face and in the dark veins spreading out from his ear as the Rakshasa’s words spread like poison through his mind and body. The Rakshasa’s grinning face, and the gleam in its eye, tell us everything we need to know about its capacity for malice and cruelty.
2 Elvish Mystic
A simple piece that gives us a deeper look into Elvish culture and traditions, everything that makes Villeneuve’s style so distinct is on show here in some form. The intricate detail, not just on the central Elf and her headdress but on the dense forest background as well, is impressive, while the subdued lighting and color choices ground the fantastical scene in reality.
The way the Elvish skull is held in profile here gives us a clear look at the reverence the Elves show towards their dead. The braiding and paints applied to it hint at a traditional burial ceremony. At the same time, the way the living Elf is contemplating the skull speaks to a level of ancestral respect that makes perfect sense for such a close-knit creature type.
1 Vanish Into Eternity
A heartbreaking Story Spotlight piece from Phyrexia: All Will Be One, Vanish into Eternity shows Elspeth Tirel’s final, agonizing sacrifice for the good of the Multiverse. It’s a simple composition, made powerful by great use of color: the blazing orange Sylex, burning through Elspeth herself, casts a light that stands out amid the darkness of the scene.
The way she seems to dissolve into painterly strokes as your eyes move across the piece is an incredibly effective use of the medium, while the expression on her face, perfectly captured mid-scream, makes it clear that, while her sacrifice was heroic, it definitely wasn’t easy for Elspeth.