Moebius
As I'm sure many of you will have heard, Jean Giraud, the French artist known as Moebius, passed away recently. A number of authors and designers have commented (for example Neil Gaiman's post here and Aaron Diaz's here) on his impact. I grew up going to comic book shops and seeing his art displayed prominently. He did a lot of covers for French sci-fi novels and I spent many a French class in the school library staring at them. His art was always mysterious and beautiful and enticing. Snapshots of strange alien worlds that looked real enough to visit. Places with stories and backgrounds that the viewer could only guess at. Quite potent stuff for a kid with an overactive imagination. You can look at some of his art here to get a sense of what I'm talking about.
He was a giant in the field and his work cast a huge shadow. If you have even the slightest interest in fantasy and sci-fi then I can almost guarantee that you've encountered Moebius' work or that of the artists he influenced, even if you didn't realise it.
He was a giant in the field and his work cast a huge shadow. If you have even the slightest interest in fantasy and sci-fi then I can almost guarantee that you've encountered Moebius' work or that of the artists he influenced, even if you didn't realise it.