On Sunday June 30th, 2019, the original painting for Magic’s newest sad robot, Golos, Tireless Pilgrim by Joseph Meehan, was sold on the MTG Art Market for $10,000.
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim by Joseph Meehan, oil on paper on board, 20.25” x 28”
Golos, Tireless Pilgrim by Joseph Meehan is a work of oil on paper adhered to board, painted at a massive size of 20.25 inches by 28 inches. It is the artist’s second traditional work, with his first being Dominaria’s Phyrexian Scriptures saga. The work was commissioned for Magic’s just-released summer expansion, Core Set 2020.
A legendary artifact creature in five colors, Golos is bound to find its way into lots of Commander decks both as a General or a part of the other 99. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, there is something extra special in being able to play a Commander game sitting in front of the original art for your General. This explorer looks as if they are going to be quite popular.
While the auction may have started slowly, there were only four bids between $4,000 and $6,000 as collectors tried to knock one another out with large jumps. It eventually came down to a bidding war at the end and a bid jump from $8,500 to $10,000 that sealed the deal for collector Josh Patel, bidding publicly. Patel has a large collection of original Magic and other genre artwork, including the original painting for Christopher Rush’s Black Lotus.
This auction also included a glimpse into the Meehan’s artistic process as shared by Vorthos Mike throughout the duration. We got to see all three preliminary sketches with the feedback the artist received from the art director, a rare opportunity to see Golos transform into his final card form:
“The automaton was the first sketch I sent over, after reading the art description again I thought why not take advantage of the fact that this is not restricted by human form and make it a little more mechanical”
“The Art Director said go back to the humanoid shape, they didn’t say this but I think may have been to evoke Solemn Simulacrum more perhaps?”
“The feedback was looks good, and I heard a make sure he has more of the adventurous gear, and I like his head shape but his face is reminding me of general grievous, please adjust it a bit and remove the eyes.”
Joseph Meehan has illustrated 56 cards for Magic as of the writing of this article, including several notable commissions, from the Kaladesh Invention Pithing Needle to four of the Amonkhet Invocations, and a handful of Legends to boot.
With his entrance into traditional media, we can look forward to exciting new works that can be hung on a well as Meehan continues to receive top-tier Magic commissions. Keep a look out for his name at the bottom of cards, and stay tuned here to Hipsters of the Coast to learn more.