Structura: The Art of Sparth

by Sparth (Illustrator), Lou Anders (Foreword)

The Art of Sparth is a collection of his personal artwork.  Sparth has been an active artistic director and concept designer for the gaming industry for over ten years. Currently with idsoftware in Texas, a renowned leader in the gaming world with such titles as Wolfenstein 3D, Doom I and II , and Quake I and II , Sparth has been integral in designing the games that the video game enthusiasts of today devour.  In both his professional and personal work, there are no limits to Sparths creativity when it comes to translating forms and concepts with an creativity when it comes to translating forms and concepts with an experimental and original approach. Born in France and having traveled the globe extensively, he was influenced greatly by the various world cultures he encountered, and this is largely responsible for his multiple creative passions, which range from space to architecture, robotics and beyond.

Genres: Art, Science Fiction, Fantasy

127 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok I have been indulging in my love of science fiction artwork - It is great to see that the interest in such art work is still as strong as ever and there is no end to the creativity - there is little really to add but that this is all from the artists imagination (be it commercially or personal projects) and it is incredible. I wish I was this talented.

I think what appeals most about his style is that it may be stylised and not photo realistic but it does evoke an atmosphere such that you can imagine it so clearly your mind fills in the gaps. To me this art is all about the imagination and this really does inspire it to run rampant but still have some realistic elements to it.

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these art books. There's a lot of art in here, as well. All in all it's exactly what you would expect from an artist showcasing his work. Book covers, concept art for games, some personal ideas etc. Now if only there were some descriptive text accompanying each picture, as in Stephan Martiniere's Quantumscapes. I would have liked to know what the artist was thinking. Did he read the book for which he was doing the cover? What kind of feel was he going for?

Anyway, if you enjoy feasting your eyes on alien landscapes, spacecraft, fantasy worlds, warriors and the like, this is a good art book for your collection. It's smaller than some other art books I own (physical dimensions), but it's jam packed with pictures.

Enjoy!

[Michael Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sparth’s impressive art combines realistic scenes, structures and vehicles with dramatic lighting and a strong sense of the fantastic to create an intriguing story while triggering an emotional response. Unfortunately, many of images featured in this book are shown at an inadequately small size, limiting their impact – details and design aspects are easily lost in shadow at this scale, diminishing the craft of their creation, and limiting the complete appreciation of all elements. Containing almost no text, STRUCTURA is a compact portfolio showcasing great imagination and technique, that is compromised by its restrictive format.

[Parka · Rating 5 out of 5]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

Nicolas Bouvier is Sparth.

He has been an art director and concept designer in the gaming industry since 1996. Born in France, he now lives in Dallas, TEXAS, working for IDsoftware.

Included in the book are concept art and matte paintings from his impressive portfolio. Some projects he has worked on includes Alone in the Dark (2001), Prince of Persia - Warrior Within (2004), Cold Fear (2005), and Assassin's Creed (2007). Art for Alone in the Dark and Cold Fear are not included.

The theme for his art is primarily futuristic science fiction and space. There are quite a few cityscape paintings with flying ships. The worlds he created as just as imaginative as Star Wars. There's no caption on the art except for the titles and dates.

This book is recommended especially to science fiction concept artists.

Sparth has a website for the book, as well as a blog. You can find additional paintings in his art galleries.

This review was first published on parkablogs.com. There are more pictures and videos on my blog.

[Dave Swavely · Rating 4 out of 5]

Birthday present I asked for after seeing it online. Wow, this guy's art is so cool! Only gave it four stars because it costs a lot.