The Acrostic Paradise Lost by John Milton and Terrance Lindall

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Lindall’s illustrations are all of this and more, and those excited by movies like Thor,
Iron Man, and Real Steel will feel a kinship with Lindall because of the excitement,
remarkable movement, inspired use of color, and sometimes haunting grandeur he brings
to his illustrations and they in turn to Milton’s epic.
Lindall opens up whole scenes for us to see in fresh and exciting new ways; his
illustrations compel us to read Milton’s epic, or at least key scenes and moments in the
epic, in bold new ways. They bring to life, as only an artist-illustrator can, and indeed as
only this surrealist provocateur can, the quality of poetry, visual effect, poetic vibrancy,
and so much more, that are captured on each page, in each Book, and in each line of
Paradise Lost.
What does it matter that the epic begins in medias res (“in the middle of things”) – not
unlike many movies and programs today that begin with a captivating scene and then
exert: “six hours earlier” or “three weeks before,” and the like.
Now, in the grandeur and size of Lindall’s elephant folio, as with the 1688 first illustrated
folio, the elephant folio of John Martin, and the folio editions of William Blake and
Gustav Doré, all choosing this size before him, Lindall has taken his illustrations, as did
they, to new heights of splendor and achievement. Their size demands attention anew to
the elements, figures, and depth of the image or scene illustrated, because with increased
size comes grandeur of color and focus of the artist’s eye. Largeness of size also clearly
demonstrates how genuinely fresh, remarkable, and stunning his illustrations are, brilliant
and often very bold in their interpretations. Likewise, the occasional head- and tail-piece
illustrations and the margins which have been added for the first time here, along with the
historiated initials which capture the central theme or image of the illustration and are
intended to embellish the page while complementing the illustration.
As a collector of John Milton for 40 years, my focus has been on illustrated editions
particularly illustrated editions of Paradise Lost and original illustrations whenever and
wherever I might find them, there is no doubt in my mind that our age is fortunate, very
fortunate indeed, to have one of the all-time great illustrators of John Milton’s Paradise
Lost.
In Terrance Lindall we are also most fortunate to have someone who has dedicated his
life to celebrating Milton’s Paradise Lost and all that this great poet represents, believed,
and stood for, through illustrations and synopsis intended to help students discover
Milton’s great epic, through the vehicle of Heavy Metal magazine designed to bring
Milton’s epic to a much larger audience on their terms, to various forms and formats of
illustrating Milton’s Paradise Lost for generations now and in the future, in events so
noteworthy in size and scope that they bring Milton to life in full celebration of the great
poet that he was, such as the 2008 “Grand Paradise Lost Costume Ball and Exhibition,”