Robert Bliss
| Robert Bliss | |
|---|---|
 Robert Bliss | |
| General Information | |
| Status | Inactive: Mirage to Ravnica: City of Guilds |
| Scryfall Statistics | |
Robert Bliss is a former Magic: The Gathering artist. His art was first printed in Mirage, and drew attention for alleged phallic imagery throughout his works.
Controversy
Bliss was hired by Art Director Sue Ann Harkey. Some of the artwork she approved for print included alleged representations of penises, which she claimed went unnoticed throughout the print process: "nobody saw that penis [on Polymorph] for ages and ages until we printed millions of them. And ever since then, everyone looked for penises... and then I couldn’t commission him any more."[1] Polymorph's art was cropped in its Ninth Edition and later printings to diminish the effect.
One card, Ekundu Cyclops, was described as the biggest phallic symbol in the history of Magic, with the note that the subject of the art was a one-eyed monster.[2] Several of Bliss's card arts were featured in a history of phallic art in Magic.[3] Bliss claims that all of the apparent penises in his artwork were unintentional, and that the shapes are simply common geometric shapes.[4]
- Artwork containing alleged phalluses
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Bliss was commissioned by a later art director and provided the art for Ravnica's Keening Banshee. The same set also contains Disembowel, which uses art he had provided years earlier, although the art is credited under the pseudonym "Chengo McFlingers".[1] Keening Banshee's art also contains a supposed penis.[3]
External Links
References
- ↑ a b Jesse Mason (April 21, 2015). "an interview with sue ann harkey, magic's greatest art director". killing a goldfish.
- ↑ Geordie Tait (June 17, 2002). "The Daily Shot: Extended’s Biggest Fallacy". Archived from the original on November 5, 2024.
- ↑ a b Jake FitzSimons (February 14, 2023). "A History Of Phallic Art In Magic: the Gathering". Archived from the original on March 27, 2025.
- ↑ Harry Potter & Guardians of the Galaxy Concept Artist - Rob Bliss. Humans of Magic (Jun 10, 2024).