I first came across Bruce Pennington's artwork on the covers of science fiction and fantasy books. I was immediately fascinated; I soon learned to recognise the colourful, atmospheric and evocative style, but the artist's name didn't register with me until l found his art book Eschatus (1976).
Where there was a choice of editions of a particular book, I would always buy the one with the Bruce Pennington cover: for me they were by far the best versions.
There are many images of his paintings online; included here are just a few of the ones that made a big impression.
These are typical book covers and good examples of his work:
I recently learned that Bruce Pennington created covers for some of Dion Fortune's occult novels:
Eschatus is a visual interpretation of some of Nostradamus's apocalyptic prophecies. I bought a copy but later donated it to a charity shop; I now wish that I had kept it.
Eschatus is full of symbolism and stunning images. This one shows the impending ruin of the Vatican:
When I showed this picture of a sinister prelate to a small boy, he found it alarming and said, “That's a witch”! I find it rather disturbing myself:
This beautiful picture depicts the rise of the Antichrist:
Bruce Pennington has produced other art books. Details of his work can be found on his website:
