Aw, CB! and others said most of what I wanted to say... but I'll do it anyways since I typed it out before reading.
I think some elements missed the point. Light, Stone, and Bone pillars have beautiful backgrounds that blend in with the theme and add a statement about the power of the towering pillars. While Burning, Emerald, and Aether have amazing art as well, the generic one colour background and stubby short look has the opposite effect about their might and sheer size compared to their classic version.
The latter look more like marks than anything. Classic pillars have a forest background while marks have a one colour background and round shape like the new Life, Fire, and Aether pillar art has. I don't think they fit as pillars but I really do hope the artist gets a chance to make a set of mark cards.
Is there any Quantum and Time pillars will get new updated art too?