Illustration: Célestin Krier goes back to the dark ages with his archaic illustrations

It feels like forever I’ve been on the hunt for a really great illustrator making work almost exclusively about the dark ages. Most commercial image-makers are so caught up in the here and now that they forget the wealth of inspiration available from mankind’s most barbaric era; the bear-baiting, the bloodthirsty duels, perpetual burning of witches and the frankly disgraceful personal hygiene.

But French illustrator Célestin Krier eschews all the nonsense of modern living to focus on these exact subjects. His portfolio is littered with barbaric imagery, rendered in a childlike hand on primitive software. There’s enough violence in there to sate even the most savage of minds, so pick up your gauntlets and longsword and wade in to the stinking cave of Célestin’s imagination.