Over the past few weeks the PBE has been updated with new splash arts for a few champions with outdated or problematic art, and some of them have caused a bit of a stir. In particular I'd like to focus on Lux's new splash as well as Morgana's and Miss Fortune's new splashes. I've included the full links so you can view everything at your leisure.
The reactions to Lux's new splash art have been thoroughly divided, critics seem to either love the new art or hate it. While to an extent there were similar reactions to the new Morgana and Miss Fortune splash arts, they were significantly more muted. I believe there are a number of important factors at play which have caused the polarization.
First and foremost, consider Lux's current splash art. The style comes from a very different era in Riot's artistic direction, and lacks the crispness and detail that more recent champions and skins feature. Simply comparing classic Lux to Imperial Lux makes the difference plain. As a result the current splash is, for many players, superior in large part because it doesn't look dated.
In addition, it's hard to deny that the new splash art has a number of prominent features that are very well executed. The prismatic light behind Lux is stunning, and affects the background in interesting ways. The slight translucence of her shawl is very well done, and her armor and garments are engraved with excellent detail. A great deal of skill was obviously employed in the art's creation.
Where the splash art falters, and what causes many players to stumble, is in aspects of Lux herself. Her hair and face are somewhat washed out, causing her to have a distinct "Barbie" feel. More importantly, it's hard to imagine what sort of magical diet is required to maintain that figure, and what sort of Demacian yoga she must do to be comfortable in that position. Her waist is roughly half the size of her hips or twice the width of her wrists, and her posture is awkward (particularly around the neck and her right wrist). For many players these flaws distract from the other qualities of the art and cause them to dislike it.
The Morgana and Miss Fortune splash arts are similarly very well executed, but because they have fewer distractions or flaws they failed to draw quite the same reaction as Lux. The only major flaw in the Morgana art is her surprising lack of kidneys (an issue she shares with Lux), but she tends to get a little extra slack as she's not exactly human. Miss Fortune might also have a similar problem, but because the view point is from her side it isn't as obvious and her hips aren't wide enough to accentuate the potential issue. Having only one notable, and either explicable or obtuse, flaw saves these two skins from the polarized reactions to Lux.
Part of what caused our heroines to evolve oddly thin waists, and many players to ignore them, are the same forces that sparked outrage when Arcade Sona's splash art appeared with significantly smaller breasts than her other skins. A significant portion of the playerbase consists of players who, due to hormones and/or cultural norms, tend to obsess over the unrealistic standards of beauty we expect from women and girls. While I'm sure there were some well-meaning players who simply balk at inconsistency, I would be shocked if "big breasts good, small breasts bad" wasn't the underlying motivation for most of the uproar.
Similarly, the impossible anatomical proportions of these skins are overlooked because they are what our culture expects from women, even though Photoshop is required to achieve them. Even though the splash arts display a great deal of skill, they still fall prey to the cultural demand for impractical figures.
Despite Runeterra being a fantasy, part of the appeal of such worlds is the idea of living there amongst the heroes and villains we control on the battlefield. Lux is no Riven, but when the proportions and pose of a splash art break suspension of disbelief it becomes harder to place ourselves in that world.
To be honest, I don't think the new art is beyond salvaging. Much like the original Leona splash art, only a few, relatively minor modifications should shift it from oddly uncomfortable to strong and compelling. That said I don't imagine players will care all that much a week or so after it's released, there are far more problematic splash arts (Tango Evelyn anyone?) which no one brings up save for a quick joke.
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