EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 26 © 2019 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

33 Petar Meseldžija One of the most fascinating fantasy artists from the past decades who has also made an incursion into the world of fine art, bringing to mind the great Orientalist and Russian Realist painters of the 19th century. Diego Cordoba caught up with him recently for this conversation about his work. Quickly becoming one of the most admired fantasy artists around the world — and the various Spectrum awards he has collected throughout the years can attest to this—PetarMeseldžija still needs to get the recognition he deserves from the general public, which probably led him into the fine arts field as well. Born in Novi Sad, Serbia, in 1965, he began his artistic career in 1981, publishing his comic strip ‘Krampi’ in Stripoteka , one of the best known comic magazines in the country. This was followed by a series of short FACING PAGE: Anima the Dreadful , oil on wood, 2015. Private commission. ABOVE: The Exodus of Giants , oil on board, 2015. Petar’s fascination with giants began when he discovered the book ‘Giants’, illustrated among others by Julek Heller.