RIP Frank
Frank... he was an older guy. I'm saddened by the fact that he's passed away, but instead of being horribly sad about it, I'm going to choose to remember why I loved him so much.
Frank Frazetta was a prolific artist. He painted... a lot. Often for books. Often for Sci Fi. You all know his art... and the few of you who don't recognize the name will know his art without really knowing it. Tarzan... Conan (the original images before Arnold became the visual)... John Carter. These are just a few of the stories he helped to immortalize on canvas. Never mind the crop of artists who would follow in his wake... such as Boris and Julie Bell... or the standard that he pretty much set for fantasy art (its still with us).
For me... I loved Frank for the reason below.
This is one of his Princess of Mars paintings... not my favorite, but its going to get across nicely why I love Frank.
When you look at this image, you see a muscular man, sure... its the Tarzan-esque hero. Frank himself was a bit of a body builder, so it makes sense. Its his women, though, that captivate me. Look at her stomach. Look at her hips. Look at her thighs. Look at her breasts and the way they fall down from the curve of her shoulders. Frank's women... whom he did often paint with little to no clothing... were beautiful in a way that's all but forgotten. Voluptous. Soft. Touchable.
Boris and Julie moved away from this look when almost all of their models became body builders. Societally, we've moved away from this look. And you know... that's okay. Some women want to be muscular (even me to a point), and who are we to tell them no. But this art takes me back to a day when women weren't pressured to be something rail thin with bones poking out of their hips with a sunken ribcage. And given the frequency with which he painted them...? You have to think there was at least one man who loved 'em that way.
So... Frank... where ever you are... gods bless, man. May your afterlife be everything you envisioned it as. Your art made the world something better... and I'm sure its legacy will be around for a good while longer.
Raen.
Frank Frazetta was a prolific artist. He painted... a lot. Often for books. Often for Sci Fi. You all know his art... and the few of you who don't recognize the name will know his art without really knowing it. Tarzan... Conan (the original images before Arnold became the visual)... John Carter. These are just a few of the stories he helped to immortalize on canvas. Never mind the crop of artists who would follow in his wake... such as Boris and Julie Bell... or the standard that he pretty much set for fantasy art (its still with us).
For me... I loved Frank for the reason below.
This is one of his Princess of Mars paintings... not my favorite, but its going to get across nicely why I love Frank.
When you look at this image, you see a muscular man, sure... its the Tarzan-esque hero. Frank himself was a bit of a body builder, so it makes sense. Its his women, though, that captivate me. Look at her stomach. Look at her hips. Look at her thighs. Look at her breasts and the way they fall down from the curve of her shoulders. Frank's women... whom he did often paint with little to no clothing... were beautiful in a way that's all but forgotten. Voluptous. Soft. Touchable.
Boris and Julie moved away from this look when almost all of their models became body builders. Societally, we've moved away from this look. And you know... that's okay. Some women want to be muscular (even me to a point), and who are we to tell them no. But this art takes me back to a day when women weren't pressured to be something rail thin with bones poking out of their hips with a sunken ribcage. And given the frequency with which he painted them...? You have to think there was at least one man who loved 'em that way.
So... Frank... where ever you are... gods bless, man. May your afterlife be everything you envisioned it as. Your art made the world something better... and I'm sure its legacy will be around for a good while longer.
Raen.