The FRAZETTA STONE--A Translation of FantasyI first came in contact with Frank Frazetta's work back in the 1950's and early '60's when he cartooned for Al Capp's, Lil' Abner. Of all the Sunday funnies that I admired as a child, his work is foremost in my memory. Who could forget the queer menagerie of characters that called Dogpatch home?
Frazetta's work has influenced many artists over the decades, and I strongly suspect that the body of his work will continue to do so for centuries to come. His work is the standard by which fantasy/realism is measured. In “Painting with Fire,” the film autobiography of Frank Frazetta revealed that his primary publisher once told him to just paint a picture, and that they would find a book that fit it—that’s how marketable his paintings were as fantasy book covers. I suspect that if one were to place his cover art on Darwin's research into the varied design of barnacles, it would become a New York Times best seller.
His insightful study of good and evil, and their many incarnations, has made an obvious impact on the monsters and heroes people go to the cinema to see. Would his rendering of Conan the Barbarian have been as convincing if this hero had resembled Elmer Fudd? The movie sets and costumes in “Conan the Barbarian” were designed based on the benchmark set by Frazetta in his paintings of the same.
FARZETTA'S (almost) WHOLESOME WOMEN
When you are looking at a Frazetta painting of a woman, no reference could possible be drawn to a Gibson Girl with their high, laced collar, balloon sleeved blouses, and Victorian values (not in the least); Frazetta's lassies are scantily clad, if they are wearing any clothing at all, and often they find themselves either in peril or as a warrior in pursuit of peril. Whichever, they are unmistakably Frazetta.
His male audience (for the most part) looks upon his women as desirable; whereas women (some women), find them to be unrealistic, and sexist. They are unquestionably buxom, and in some cases are as formidable as their male counterparts or the monsters that guard or imprison them. I would rather face one of Frazetta's glowing-eyed monsters than to come face to face with one of his seductive, sword wielding vixens.
Upon learning that a museum showcasing his work (http://www.frazettaartgallery.com/) was within a morning's drive from us (200 miles to our north—one way), we loaded into the car, and headed for Pennsylvania. When we arrived at his property there was little to indicate that we had arrived at our desired destination. No billboards, no flashing neon signs, not even a stick painted red! It was not until we entered his curvaceous driveway (how apropos), that we were greeted by a small sign that read, "Museum." A crude arrow pointed to the left; that was it.
We each paid our $10.00 entrance fee, signed the guestbook, and were free to wander around viewing the wonders of his talent. Later his grandson introduced himself, and filled us in a few more details concerning his grandfather's paintings.
His teenage grandson was a congenial, red-headed lad with a ready smile that would have disarmed any one of his grandfather's most ferocious beasts. As we chatted I gazed up at a painting of a lass with a prodigious a'…er'ah…fanny, and asked his grandson if he knew the name of the model? "I could make a lot of money taking her on the road," said I, "just by cracking coconuts with that butt of hers!" He looked up at the painting, slapped his hand over his mouth, and convulsed with laughter. Moments later he regained his composure, and told us that he had wanted to take some of his grandfather's work to his school's show-and-tell, but that his teacher would not allow him to do so. Such paintings would not be in compliance with school policy. Imagine that. I was about to offer a suggestion that he could have placed upon the parts of questionable reveal, a Band-Aid swimsuit, but I decided to leave well enough alone.
I studied Frazetta's technique in nearly every painting, I followed the brush strokes of his oil paintings, and I meandered the smooth wash of his watercolors, and I have to say that I left his gallery enthralled, and satisfied that I had visited a Master's work.
Here is the link to Frazetta's official website; enjoy, but be forewarned, his work ain't for the priggish to view: http://frankfrazettamuseum.com/
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