Nolzur is regarded practically universally to be the greatest artist in the history of civilization, outside the opinions of a few obscure and inconsequential historians who make a point of being contrary to conventional knowledge for the sake of it. He lived a couple hundred years ago, and over the course of his prolonged elven life he founded no fewer than half a dozen artistic movements in both the mediums of painting and sculpture. His influence is felt even today, as many artists still produce work in what is referred to as the nolzurian fashion; work that attempts to replicate and imitate Nolzur's own, though they universally fail to capture the same sense of life and dynamism that he was able to produce. Never the less, nolzurian art remains quite popular, and an artist can make a suitable living in the shadow of the master.
Over his long years of life, Nolzur was almost unfathomably prolific, producing perhaps thousands of different studies, paintings, sculptures, sketches, etc. His works are expensive, to be certain, but not especially rare. Most every household valued over a certain sum owns at least one such piece, and indeed some people aspire to owning one as a status symbol that would cement themselves among the upper crust of society, even if only barely. His materials and tools are almost equally widespread--especially his paintbrushes--though there has never been anything special reported about them. They are simply well-made, well-used antiques that fetch far beyond the asking price of any other paintbrush, but are a comparable bargain compared to what a painting or sculpture would cost.
Nolzur gained a reputation as being something of an eccentric in his later years, seemingly driven to near madness in his effort to continue innovating and advancing his work, never being satisfied with what he had produced even as the rest of the world heaped praise and acclaim upon him. A house he owned in Remdormo has been transformed into a gallery that sells some of his works, and the city makes no bones about boasting of this fact, claiming themselves the home of the great artist. The truth of the matter is that Nolzur was wealthy enough that he had residences in every major habitation in the interior of the continent, largely out of convenience due to the frequency he was commissioned for work from all over Telmur. No other place he may have called home has been preserved outside the gallery in Remdormo, however.
The most curious thing about Nolzur that is often overlooked for all the focus on his accomplishments in life is how he died. It's a curious thing, because no one knows how or when he died. He simply disappeared, though no one knows when exactly it happened due to his transient habitation of any given home of his. Indeed, it may have been months or perhaps as much as a year or more before anyone was actually able to put together that he was missing. This was centuries ago, however, and Nolzur was not exactly young when he vanished. He is most assuredly one hundred percent dead, no one from his time of his age could have survived into the modern era.
Or could they?
No, they could not. He's dead. But the manner of his demise is an interesting historical mystery that will likely never be solved.
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