Back to the Roots - Middle Earth vs other fantasy worlds

Looking at the languages from ME and our world we can see a clear connection and something like this (creating the hoarding memory) can be seen in later fantasy both written and illustrated work.

For example Tolkien used some words for certain things like Mithril (metal) or Warg (dire wolf). Both of these words have roots in a certain language already but if it wouldn't be Tolkien who started to use these words the wouldn't show in other fantasy settings. In Dungeons and Dragons we now have Mithral and Worg having the very same meaning (not only in D&D). This also applies to races and class archetypes. For example Tolkien wrote the story about Bilbo the Hobbit. In D&D we have Halflings, that were also called hobbits in the beginning and resembled Tolkien's hobbits very much. Ents are common as well, we call them Treefolk in general but well, what comes to your mind when someone says Treefolk (Anyway changed to Treant in D&D)? Orcs as relatively intelligent but evil creatures also come from LotR and I could go on...

The fact that ME has it's own history (3000 years old), its own geography etc also led other people when creating fantasy worlds to have this as well. Not just races like elves, dwarves, gnomes etc but also the whole geography and history starting with the creation of the world (or the myths and legends if there aren't some immortal elves that could tell you the story from first hand^_^)

I give Dungeons and Dragons as an example but that game was not entirely and directly influenced by Tolkien himself as many people claim and write studies about. This game was influenced by many fantasy authors, Tolkien among them. (there were legal issues between TSR and Tolkien and later a de-tolkienization took place in D&D)
(Dragon Magazine, gotta find them)

I personally never took D&D as something relating to Tolkien, none of the fantasy from TSR/WotC seemed similar to Tolkien to me. Yes, I admit they have the same/similar races and names/terms used but that's more because this has already been established. D&D though defined it much more and many people derive from this today. And as many illustrations are done for all this 'gaming industry' it tends to become similar in design.

When seeing artists write about their influences they many times name artist working for the same company or writers that are not actually Tolkien.

But still without Tolkien our minds wouldn't be open for something like this - fantasy and that's why we have to give him credit.

Now the question coming from all this is: How come Fantasy Art artists are not influenced by Tolkien (with the exception of Ted Nasmith) when everyone seems to think that it was him that started Modern Fantasy?

Here I feel that my knowledge lacks a lot of information. I know a lot about the history of RPGs (TSR/WotC) and a lot about Tolkien's work. But I don't see the analogy (I do in certain things, but those were already described in Dragon Magazine) and the very same is about the art. Here's Ted Nasmith and Alan Lee on one side (Tolkien) and other artists on the other. Do I see resemblances? Um not really...