I'm usually not a big fan of cityscapes but this one has reeled me in and kept me for as long as it has been around. I LOVE it and all the gotham garden incarnations. Thank you!

Blaine is a pain... The End of Lud indeed!

Blaine is a pain... The End of Lud indeed!

I have been reading Steven Kings The Gunslinger series and the image of Gotham reminds be very much of how Blain wipes out the city of Lud in the third book, The Waste Lands. While I know this was not the direction of this piece, its interesting how it fit so well with imagery of that scene. This shows how art can feel many moods and how its persception can be influences by the current topics of the viewer. I had a similar reaction of The Highlands while reading The Chronicles of Narnia. In that case the tree, water, and mountains all reminded me of a scene of the Garden in either the magicians nephew or the final battle. Great work as always.

I may be just me, but on the dual-screen version, is that a tiny Watterson towers just to the left of the center, almost in the clouds? And Hewett / Manchester / Vrooman on the far left corner?

Ironically, I find that the distortion doesn't bother me much when the perspective is looking down on the piece, like it is in this one. However, when we are looking up at the work (see Gotham Garden series 2010) I find it disturbing. On some images, such as in full bloom it is so bad, that I had to remove it from the rotation.

This is a really great piece in single screen, and i agree with Laura, architectural (via detailed modeling) and great textures really make this shine.

My only complaint is something I know you can't do much about due to the software limitations, but it would be SO nice to have an Isometric render, where all the buildings point in one direction! I know it's a known 'issue' that shows up with your forest renders from time to time too. The dual screen is bearable, but the triple screen, ouch. The downwards camera angle really emphasizes the perspective effect here and makes my eyes water when I try to look at anything in the outer monitors.

Like to have it as a ps3 theme

Makes me want to clean up my desktop. Glad to see the architectural work again.

the dual monitor is awesome, thank so much!



(fyi, the 2x1080p file has some issues)

Nate F - I did look down, he always says 'I am working on it' and half the time it never shows up.

I did look down, he always says 'I am working on it' and half the time it never shows up.

and I come back to 3 brand new renders, thanks!



I like both versions, but the 2nd one wins, you can see deeper into the city. The 1st version does look like something bad is going down.

... Look down like 8 posts.



Ps excellent image :)

I use one of every ten wallpapers you make as I do not change my wallpaper often. When I see something amazing from you, that moves me, I immediately try to get it as a wallpaper.



Unfortunately it seems you have some weird alarm in your head. Whenever I want a dual screen version of what I consider your best work.... the alarm rings and you do not release it. Sometimes for months, sometimes never.



Off the top of my head Highland Summer and Dolmen but there are many many more. Highland Summer, Dolmen and The Forest Citadel spring to mind.



Please tell me this wont be like the others?



This is simply amazing, one of your best works.... do not let it fade away without dual screen renders.

I was recently at the Nelson Art Gallery, a fairly nice gallery here in Kansas City - along with my son who had just completed a course in art history and appreciation. As we perused the various eras of human creativity - my son turned to me and said "This is all good and all - but have you seen the new Gotham on Digital Blasphemy?"

OUTSTANDING! I like the second version better than the first! I can't wait for the widescreen version. This will look great on my triple monitor setup!

Ryan, I've been a big fan of your work for a while now, and just when I think that I've seen your best work, you offer up something new like this. Absolutely stunning! It's renders like this that make me want to throw away my 3D software, like Vue, knowing I could never even come close to producing the art that you do. Speaking of which, I'm curious and didn't see it mentioned anywhere...What software did you use to make this image? And did you create the building yourself or are they DAZ models? I know magicians are not supposed to reveal their secrets, but if you don't want to be responsible for me chucking out my 3D programs in frustration, you can maybe throw a tiny bit of behind-the-scene wisdom my way. Thanks again for making my computer screen a work of art!

It's gorgeous, yet I agree with you...the clouds cover up too much of what could be a beautiful cityscape at night. There's just something nice about gazing at a city in the evening. My favorite shot in the movie "Cars" is where Mack is climbing the hill heading toward California, having just started out, with the city in the background down the mountain behind him. An absolutely gorgeous shot. Lasseter agrees. Nice work, thank you.

Can't wait to set this as my background at work, my coworkers always comment on my wallpapers, I tell them this is the only site to come to :)

I used the original Gotham 1998 for a very long time on both my work and home PCs, and this is a worthy successor to that awesome work. Excellent!

words cannot describe how much I want a multi-screen render of this. Perhaps even a day one.

I really liked the original but this one blows it out of the water. Great work.

I prefer this version to the original, simply because I can see more of the city. I'm a fan of the achievements of Man, and very little epitomizes them better than a city skyline, especially at night. I like the first one because the smog showed a productive city on a cloudy day, not a dying one being burnt to the ground by fear crazed criminals and convicts set loose by a league of shadows. Without those clouds, I can see both the buildings and a bit of smog. So, it's the best of both worlds for me in V2. As for the clouds in the top right, they look fine for where they are, considering that the building would probably affect the air flow around it.



Although, the one cloud does look like a giant cyclops holding on to the building for dear life.

Ryan you should consider setting up a server that people can connect to that would help render images - I certainly wouldn't mind letting you use the juice off my gaming rig when it's sitting idle!

Awesome! Congrats! Really enjoyed this one. I just love this futurist art. Would be really great if it had a triple screen version too! And a no cloud version would also be interesting.

Gotham 2012 reminds me of a fictional city on another planet called 'Chasm City'. The creater is Alistar Reynolds one of my most loved sci-fi authors.



I love this image! thanks again Ryan :)

I like that you can see the city more in this version but the clouds in the top right don't quite look right.



Great job as usual.

Much better,don't take out the clouds.I like the color and the type of clouds,kind of pre-storm.

I mean, if the clouds are an issue, why not just make a version that doesn't have them?

Version 2 is much better. It was worth the 24 hours you put into it. Nice work

Image reminds me of Ridley Scott's 1982 film "Blade Runner". Would be awesome if the image showed it raining.

Being an architecture buff, there's more for me to look at in the second version. That's the one now proudly on my desktop!

I prefer the older version that is in the pickle jar.

The clouds and the lighting in this second version look a lot more artifical, especially on the top-right side.



But you sure got it right the first time around. :)

The Token Man is under the clouds somewhere. We can assume his existence without seeing him. Other Gothem aerial views, such as Gotham 2001, have been without him. In other words, I'm putting in my vote for no token man in this vender. :)

This is now my desktop. Very moody and makes me wish you designed some buildings for the new Sim-City.



I think you could really do wonders if you explored industrial themes further. Maybe an industrial beach? Ha...

I enjoy both versions, but for different reasons.

The Pickle Jar one has the dark and gritty feel of what I think Gotham would be, whereas the new one does have the clouds that feel more like clouds.

I'm not opposed to the "smoky" feel of the old one since a city that is large like Gotham, could conceivably have smog, so therefore the smoky feel works.

But, to each their own. I think they are both great. Thanks again for the great scenery Ryan!

Love the V2 version, more city and less clouds, so much nicer.



The only thing missing (unless I can't find it) is the token DB "man" - older members will know the one I mean.

The new one is great! The truth is I haven't found any of your wallpapers that I don't like. I can't say the same for many other artists out there. I rotate through many of your different illustrations all of the time.

Version 2 is a huge improvement. I love it.

Cant decide which one to use as my wallpaper...

Like the new version much more, however I think the lighting is still off. The clouds are dark grey and the buildings are lit up, indicating night, yet there is still sunlight streaming down. Has a confusing effect.

If your goal was to portray a living city rather than a dying one, you've succeeded. With a striving metropolis comes a certain amount of air pollution, but the entire city is not as obscured by clouds in V2. I prefer it. Good job, Ryan!

I like the first version but this one is even better! Thank you for adding more buildings in the city and balancing out the cloud cover, it's excellent! I suggest this be the main one and original goes to the pickle jar.

I love them all.

I can't help but look at them both and wonder...where is that brilliantly lit rooftop garden...? :D Visual delights in both versions. I'm going to be looking at these for a while.

I immediately showed this to my brother and he was just blown away. "Stunning" is a good word right now. :D

I'd suggest you put Version 2 in the pickle jar and leave out Version 1 for the majority of members to download. This new version if pleasant enough, but Version 1 rises to greatness.

The first one was way better. The clouds on the left are good but the ones on the right are just off. It's still a great city scape but this one creates ambivalence for me and I won't be using it. Thanks, as always, for the options. The first one makes me super happy.

This one is a little better than the first, even if the clouds in the back look a little funny, but I still dislike the sunset-like sunlight on the buildings and still think it could use more lights coming from the buildings.

I am sitting in class right now and i literally almost interrupted the professor's lecture by yelling because i liked this wallpaper so much.



i need to go home and change my pants, as i just peed all in them. thats how good this one is.

I really prefer the second version, I just couldn't get used to the clouds/smoke in the first version.



But keeping in the Gotham tradition... how about a night version (with no clouds), there has to be a night version. 8-)



Thanks.

At least, IMHO. I love this version; it's even better than the last, and I loved the last. Definitely a SF feel to this -- it's going right up! Thank you, Ryan!

I like it a lot! This one has a more sci-fi industrial metropolis feel to it, but I personally prefer the burning mayhem version! I think it differs for everyone, but I really think you created something unique with that first version! :)

Much more cryptic as Gotham City should be. I actually prefer the idea of smoke/fire as in a riot is going down and total social upheaveal is taking place. Isn't that what Gotham is all about? Don't get me wrong I also like v2 but not nearly as much. Excellent job Mr Bliss.

the clouds in the foreground look great, but everything on the right side looks really blobby and wrong

This is so awesome, I have to slightly disagree with the clouds though I think the clouds and the lack of sun are what has always made Gotham dark and mysterious. I do with there was some kind of person overlooking the city on the lower flat topped building...;-)...

wish there were a few less clouds. I hope it get updated as I was looking forward to update my computers and my tablet and my phone with a new picture!! :-)

When are overcast skies a symptom of a dying city?

but gotham IS a dying city. :)

Like it,I think maybe cut down on the clouds or make them a little more transparent.

The original Gotham 1998 was the best. A triple screen version of that one would be great.

Awesome. It reminds me of Hong Kong skyline. A freind took this shot of it.

http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww303/Xgreygoose/My%20stuff%20Ayeeee/HKSkyline.jpg



Maybe you could do more of a bright grey version of Gotham :-)

At first I thought this was night; some of the buildings appear to be lit but it's subtle. However, the sun on certain buildings means, I guess, that it's a cloudy or smokey day. I too would love a night version!

...more buildings, and switch to night with light sourced only from the buildings and the moon.

Eliminate some of the clouds/smoke.

I don't particularly like that it looks like it may be burning, but more than that, I'm disappointed that it's not night time and so the light is coming from the sun and not from the buildings. This image would look much better as a night time image than as a sunset image.

Whatever you do, give us triple screens of all of the picklejar versions! Love it on the single screen!!!!!

I think the POV should be much farther away, like the original picture linked in the post.

You have sometimes done a collection page when you do a similar theme (e.g. The four seasons of Gotham Garden). I would love to see the evolution of Gotham over the years. Gotham has always been on of my favorite subjects of yours over the years.



I can think of Gotham 1998, 1999 and 2001, as well as Gotham Garden 2001 and the 4 seasons Garden you did over 2010 and 2011.



Have I missed any? I thought there was another aerial view of Gotham somewhere.

just that.

This is like what I thought Arkham City should have looked when Batman was in the tower at the end of the game.

I think the clouds need to look a little more tenuous otherwise it does look like the place is on fire. Perhaps some additional building lights?

I'm curious your model for the building in the lower right, with the V-shape top.

The purple/cobalt/gold contrast is just lovely. The steam or smoke question really draws you in to examine the detail. I'm really looking forward to multi-widescreen versions. It's very Blade Runner/Dark Knight. It's very 'now', well done!

Even when examined closely, it still looks to me like the city is on fire. I'm so accustomed to the stunning natural landscapes on DB, this one stands in stark contrast - brought to mind images of pollution and environmental degradation.

You can also make a PJV one with out clouds or maybe even a sunrise. Well anyway this is very awesome nice update.

Nice work i've been wanting more of these

I like it, very nice to have one of your cities at this view, clouds look really good too.

Takes my breath away every time I look at my PC and makes me want to go buy a larger monitor. Thanks, Ryan.

love it

Yes!



The very thing I fell in love with this website for - cityscapes.



Please keep 'em coming!

Amazing work, I am eagerly waiting a 5760X1080 version!



Hopefully you'd do various versions...Night, Day, Winter, Fall...

Great. As if waiting for July 20th wasn't bad enough already, THIS masterpiece has to come out. I've been reading Dark Knight fanfiction for the past day now because of this. =P

It's very dark and haunting, and I like it a lot. It looks like the light is coming from the sky, and it looks awesome.

Well done, this looks just awesome! The style reminds me a bit of StarCraft 2... :-)

I was reading some of the other comments and I have to agree this does appear the city is one fire. When I first viewed the scenery I thought that was what it was and that the picture resembled a terrorist attack

This is really nice. I love it. If I had any complaint if would be that the clouds remind me of smoke and the city lights make it look like the city is on fire. A very unique effect. Great job

This instantly replaced Reverie as my favorite wallpaper. It just looks amazing and the amount of clouds is just right to create a mood here. Also interesting to see the difference to the first version from 14 years ago.

And on a sidenote: you pretty much matched the color palette of the most recent Batman game from Rocksteady Studios - which is of course set in Gotham City.

Tonight as I watched the NBA Semi-Finals, I found that I was fascinated by aerial camera shots of a huge glass skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City. This picture seems eerily déjà-vu.



I’m amazed at how many people are distracted by the “smoke/clouds” here. My tunnel-vision focus is fixed on a golden crucifix that seems to be ascending from a dark area almost dead center in the picture. It distracts me so much that I can see very little else.

Bravo! Bravo! This is so incredible!

I've kind of wondered if you would ever do more of these types of wallpapers. I really like this one. Only change or alternate version I would like is one with less clouds and more buildings. But this is nice too, maybe 2 versions would be good that way you get the best of both styles. One with clouds and one with less or none. Either way this is a great WP!

Love this one...it's got to be one of my all time favorites. Not surprising, it was one of your early "Gotham" or city renders (really early, somewhere around 2002) that turned me on to your site.



Thanks for all the wonderful works over the years.

Sorry for the second post.

Ryan, do you think its possible to make another render but without clouds/smoke? I would definitely like to see one like that!

I always wondered what your render of a city skyline would be like Ryan, and it looks like I am getting this opportunity! It looks awesome, it definitely has that dystopian feel to it, like something from 1984 or something. I cannot wait to see how this would look at night, with all the street lights and building lights! Keep up the good work!

I love your Gotham renders in general but this one is really special. I agree with Anderson that it's dystopian; that's one of the things I like about it. I also love the ambiguous quality of the clouds; we can all bring our own interpretations to this piece. Great, Ryan! You are the best!

...kinda looks like great gouts of smog from heavy industry, quite fitting for the dystopian look of the city overall.

Wow, I really love this one. I feel like this one is very different from what you typically do -- I love the variety! There is something about the buildings (especially in the lower right) that I really love. Great work on this one!

I like the change in perspective on this one, compared to Gotham Garden. I say the clouds look like clouds, but if you meant for there to be smoke... Perhaps this is the morning after the fire, and that's just residual.

Ryan, forgive me, but I have over the last few months stopped commenting on your wallpapers. Sorry about that...

This wallpaper I could not leave uncommented - it is amazing.



It is a different style to your ussual works, and it's my prefered style. Maybe it's just the fact that it is so different and unique that it stands out from the rest, i don't know.



Either way, it's really bloody good. Nice work!

I didn't get the initial impression that the city was burning, I realized those were clouds and city lights, but nevertheless I think the clouds could be toned down quite a bit.

I like it a lot! But to be honest it does look like Gotham is burning, because the clouds look like smoke and the sunlight at the center of the scenery could be mistaken for light coming from raging fires! Maybe you should do something like that in the future, a total mayhem scenery of Gotham burning! :D

Cant tell if Im looking at clouds or smoke rising.