---
title: Zelda is Art
description: Today I learned that Shigeru Miyamoto cites Paul Cézanne as a major influence.
slug: zelda-art
<!--- authors:
  - name: David Windham
    title: Something Else
    url: https://davidawindham.com
    image_url: https://davidawindham.com/wp-content/themes/daw/img/opengraph_image.jpg -->
tags: [design, art, games]
image: https://davidawindham.com/wp-content/themes/daw/img/opengraph_image.jpg
hide_table_of_contents: false
---

Today I learned that the fictional Princess Zelda **is** named after Zelda Fitzgerald and that Robin Williams named his daughter after the princess because he was playing the game. I did the deep dive after reading a comment<sub>1</sub> in _The Paris Review_ about The Legend of Zelda<sub>2</sub> likely because it came through my feed reader and we've been playing the game. The comment centered around "Can video games be considered art?" to which I would reply that the creator, Shigeru Miyamoto<sub>3</sub> graduated from Kanazawa College of Art<sub>4</sub>. 

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[![zelda](/img/zelda.jpg)](/img/zelda.jpg)

Miyamoto has cited Paul Cézanne as major influence, describing the graphics in his work as "moving paintings". The commenter writes "Tears of the Kingdom isn’t an escape from reality but an advertisement for reality—including the aesthetic practices that already make our own." He makes a very compelling argument and should read the full statement linked in the [citation below](https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2023/07/07/fireworks-on-kenneth-anger-and-the-legend-of-zelda/). 

We've decided to avoid using any cheats this go around so finishing _Tears of the Kingdom_<sub>5</sub> may take us a year at our pace. We enjoy exploring the game, the narrative, battling creatures, and solving puzzle shrines together. The better half has gone as far as [dressing as Zelda for halloween parties](https://photo.davidwindham.com/#16396864529985/16403541192500). I'll just leave some notes here in this post as preparation for a longer form essay on this later.

- First played Zelda in 1987
- Miyamoto inspired by childhood exploration of countryside and discovery of cave
- Tezuka inspired by Tolkien's Lord of the Rings
- the hero is defeated
- Religious iconography
- impressionist style
- Zelda Fitzgerald names
- Music Ravel's Boléro
- forerunner of the role-playing video game
- Hyrule compendium photographs
- Spiral nod to _Spiral Jetty_ by Robert Smithson
- Tolkien, King Author, Celtic mythology, Peter pan, etc
- franchise has sold over 140 million copies. 
- Hyrule Historia book topped the NYT best seller list

---

1. The Paris Review - Fireworks: On Kenneth Anger and _The Legend of Zelda_ - <https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2023/07/07/fireworks-on-kenneth-anger-and-the-legend-of-zelda/>
2. _The Legend of Zelda_ - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda>
3. Shigeru Miyamoto - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shigeru_Miyamoto>
4. Kanazawa College of Art - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanazawa_College_of_Art>
5. _Tears of the Kingdom_ - <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_Tears_of_the_Kingdom>

(a.) image: screenshot from _The Legend of Zelda: Links's Awakening_ from when we were playing it several years back.