Nice. Long have I been a fan of Albert Bierstadt, who learned from Cole, and Maxfield Parrish, who was definitely influenced by the Hudson River School. Throw Conan in front of any of them and you pretty much have Frank Franzetta.
I discovered Thomas Cole today while stumbling around Wikimedia and I just think this particular image is very cool. I like his use of landscapes and ruins and he does an amazing job using more grounded objects such as trees, animals, and people to give really convey a sense of scale to everything. It's really interesting to see how fantasy art has kind of evolved over the years, visually and thematically. Fanciful/realistic, lighthearted/grim, bright color palettes vs. moody color palettes. There's something fro everyone out there. Chances are, there's a ton of artists out there who are thankful for CCGs like Magic: The Gathering because it gives them not only a paycheck but some incredible exposure. Edit: Just looked up Beirstadt. Woah.