Two weeks after Middle-earth March Madness 2025: The Art of Middle-earth began, we have reached Round Five – the Final Four. Each regional bracket has a winner; now the Semi-final will decide which two masterpieces go through to face off in the Grand Final. Voting is open now!
Let’s take a look at each bracket winner:
Landscapes
Donato Giancola’s Walls of Moria went toe to toe with Alan Lee’s Edoras. These are two incredible paintings of landmark locations in Middle-earth – how to choose between them? In the end, the Golden Hall was the one which drew the most votes: Edoras is through with three-fifths of the vote.
Story Moments
This was another close battle, as Matthew Stewart’s The Horn of Boromir took on Ted Nasmith’s The Kinslaying at Alqualondë. That’s a familiar scene from The Lord of the Rings (and with strong echoes of Peter Jackson’s movie) vs a First Age scene – perhaps a less familiar tale to many? Or a dark, gritty battle scene vs a beautiful, starlit, ethereal, but on close inspection equally (or even more) gruesome depiction of slaughter. How did you vote? Ultimately, The Horn of Boromir claimed 54% of the vote; so two familiar sights (and sites!) for movie lovers will meet in the first Semi-final pairing: The Horn of Boromir vs Edoras.
Portraits
Two VERY different artworks met in the final of this bracket: Anna Lee’s serene and blissful Goldberry vs Turner Mohan’s striking, dark Lúthien and Morgoth. I know which one I’d rather have on my wall! BUT there is something mesmerising and extraordinary about Mohan’s smokey black work, with a tiny, luminous Lúthien boldy facing a giant foe. It won the heart of fans, but not by much; the final vote tally was 56% to Mohan.
Groups/Montages
Once again, the closest battle was in this region, where two idyllic Shire scenes fought it out. David Wenzel’s Gandalf at Your Service features two very well-known characters – Gandalf and Bilbo; whereas in Soni Alcorn-Hender’s Little Rivers of the Shire we don’t know who the two Hobbits are. Perhaps they are Halflings we know and love; or perhaps they are peripheral characters: children who once cheered Gandalf’s fireworks, or regulars at The Green Dragon. Either way, it’s a beautiful scene which draws the viewer in. I think we’d all like to visit either of these illustrations; and it was clearly hard for voters to make a choice. The victory in the end went to David Wenzel, 52% to 48%; making our second Semi-final pairing Lúthien and Morgoth vs Gandalf at Your Service.
Only two of these magnificent pieces can go through to the final; how will you make your choices? Vote now!
How does it work, you ask? Simple! Click on the button below. This will take you to the voting site, where you can view the entire bracket, and also view individual works in all their glory (and details of the artist). Place your votes for Round Five: Final Four!
Staffer Madeye Gamgee shares his thoughts on the Final Four:
So, in the Final Four, we have an all Lord of the Rings semifinal, putting an epic and glowing Edoras against a gritty and highly detailed last stand from Boromir. The second match features the sharp contrast between the bright, Hobbity Shire scene featuring Bilbo being wooed toward adventure by Gandalf, versus the dark depths of Angband and Lúthien’s desperate confrontation with mighty Morgoth.
The Final Four is a study in the dark versus light contrasts that so vividly embody the breadth and depths of Tolkien’s subcreation. Think Bilbo and Gollum and their riddle game, Éowyn versus the Witch-king, Denethor’s pyre in the inner sanctum of the White City, or the beauty and horror of Alqualondë that Ted Nasmith so beautifully captured. It is fitting that these artistic tensions are so fully present with our four finalists.
You have until the end of the day Friday April 4th to vote in Round Five; on Saturday 5th we’ll start the Championship Round! So place those votes!
