D&D 5E About the artwork...

[tetrasodium]

The impossibility of the pose, the oddness of the eyes, and other incongruous elements in the painting lead me to ask questions.

Is that an Elf? What is going on? Is it under the effects of a spell? Did it cast the spell or did something else?

Asking questions in this vein, can be conducive to character building. I might be mistaken, but doesn't this picture appear before the multi-class/Feats section of the rules?

I really like

Spoiler: the elf

is hair is a mess from combat & he clearly doesn't care because he's looking down on someone with visceral emotion of anger disgust or similar on his face.. perhaps he's attemping to decide if he should sully his sword with your blood to be sure you die or if he'd rather spit on that gut wound & watch you die slow

 

[Daëgoros]

I really like

Spoiler: the elf

View attachment 128217

is hair is a mess from combat & he clearly doesn't care because he's looking down on someone with visceral emotion of anger disgust or similar on his face.. perhaps he's attemping to decide if he should sully his sword with your blood to be sure you die or if he'd rather spit on that gut wound & watch you die slow

-His eyes...
If he’s been in combat, there should be some sort of actual marker, like blood. There isn’t.
He looks like he’s got Down syndrome. That spreads a bad message to people with Down syndrome.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

If you have no argument, then there’s nothing you can do about mine.

Buddy, you joined the forum today, and have posted less than a dozen times. Screeching "debate me" at people that don't know you isn't especially impressive. Particularly when you literally haven't even made an argument.

If you want to come across as a genuine participant in these forums, and not a troll, you might want to rethink your approach.

 

[Charlaquin]

No, it’s not.
And no, they aren’t related to preferences.
Is a can of sh-t art, just because you say so?

Ok. Go ahead and deny literally all scholarly, academic, and critical consensus for the past several hundred years if you want. Here in the real world, yes, a can of feces can be art. I imagine most people would not find such art appealing or particularly thought-provoking, but it’s still art.

 

[Mercurius]

And was wondering why didn't have similar high detail(and high quality) artwork before.

Most artwork is cartoonish, and could have been done in more serious, darker tone.

PHB cover is pretty solid, but this one is still far better.

I think your attitude around art is pretty much what @Charlaquin was getting at. Your writing here indicates conflation of your personal preferences--highly detailed, serious, dark tone--with quality.

Detail, seriousness, and darkness of tone are specific qualities or styles - not requirements for high quality.

As for Tasha's, I actually prefer the quasi-Mucha-esque alternate cover. The regular cover is technically proficient and I like it just fine, but it doesn't have that crucial ingredient that I prefer in fantasy art: it is not evocative of anything other than what it describes. This is one of the reasons why I find photo-realism to be rather uninspiring. I may be impressed with its technical proficiency, but love that quality of "evoking something more," be it a mood or atmosphere or feeling.

 

[Charlaquin]

I really like

Spoiler: the elf

View attachment 128217

is hair is a mess from combat & he clearly doesn't care because he's looking down on someone with visceral emotion of anger disgust or similar on his face.. perhaps he's attemping to decide if he should sully his sword with your blood to be sure you die or if he'd rather spit on that gut wound & watch you die slow

Yeah, I like it too. The pose is a little implausible but otherwise it’s pretty cool.

 

[Guest User]

-His eyes...
If he’s been in combat, there should be some sort of actual marker, like blood. There isn’t.
He looks like he’s got Down syndrome. That spreads a bad message to people with Down syndrome.

Fie, Fi, Foe, Fum...I smell the argument of a large giant from page 297 of the Monster Manual.

If this was a portrait of a slender, symmetrical, classically beautiful Elf...you would have no problem with it....and it would be exactly what we have seen countless times before.

This portrait is not about clear lines, symmetry, and bodies like Greek gods.
This painting is inverting that.
This painting is saying maybe you have to treat sapient creatures like your equals, even if you find their appearance odd.

From your words, I'm going to wager, that might be an issue for you.

 

[Horwath]

I really like

Spoiler: the elf

View attachment 128217

is hair is a mess from combat & he clearly doesn't care because he's looking down on someone with visceral emotion of anger disgust or similar on his face.. perhaps he's attemping to decide if he should sully his sword with your blood to be sure you die or if he'd rather spit on that gut wound & watch you die slow

yeah, it might say that. And it might say that with 10× more detail in the artwork.

most of PHB art looks like a very good idea, but execution is more like;
the manager entered the studio, said that we go to print tomorrow and you still have 20+ arts to finish, so GET TO IT!

 

[Oofta]

If I were going to complain about the art (and as I posted, it feels like the artist was trying to make the elf's face and ears mirror the hawk which doesn't work for me), I'd complain about the halflings.

They look like they were all drawn by Rob Liefeld with those tiny, tiny feet! Seriously, Do they have like size 0 shoes?

P.S. I have preferences for art, like everyone. I just remember the halflings being an affront upon the eyes of all mankind when it was first published according to some people.

 

[Charlaquin]

-His eyes...
If he’s been in combat, there should be some sort of actual marker, like blood. There isn’t.
He looks like he’s got Down syndrome. That spreads a bad message to people with Down syndrome.

How does a character looking like they have Down’s syndrome send a bad message to people with Down’s syndrome? Frankly, I think it would be the opposite. People with visible disabilities don’t often get to see characters that look like them in media, especially fantasy media. Getting to see someone who looks like they have the same disability as you depicted in a heroic context can be really inspiring.

Also, I’m pretty sure he’s just supposed to have unusual facial propositions to emphasize his elven-ness. Like, there’s nothing wrong with interpreting the character as having Down’s syndrome, but I kinda doubt that was the artist’s intent.