Major, but very sad, geek news today: legendary fantasy and sci-fi artist Frank Frazetta died today after having a stroke.
Frazetta got his first big break with the poster for the movie What's New Pussycat? after a painting he did of Ringo Starr for Mad Magazine caught the attention of United Artists. He got work doing more posters after that, and was even offered a contract with the New York Giants during that time.
His most famous work came with his interpretation of Conan, which redefined sword and sorcery genre. From then on out, Frazetta was in high demand, further defining his legend by illustrating the covers of Tarzan re-issues. He even illustrated and co-produced the Ralph Bakshi cult favorite Fire and Ice, but returned to his roots soon after the movie flopped at the box office.
He also did many covers for music artists. Molly Hatchet's first two albums feature "The Death Dealer" and "Dark Kingdom", respectively. Hard Attack, by Dust, features "Snow Giants". Nazareth's 1977 album Expect No Mercy used "The Brain". Wolfmother used "The Sea Witch" as the cover for their self-titled debut, and has also used it for the covers of their singles and for some of their merchandise.
I've been wanting a print of some of his Conan work for a long time, and it sucks I couldn't do it while he was still alive so it would directly benefit him. For any fans or those interested, some of his work is on tour this year. Visit Frank Frazetta Museum for more info, or visit the actual museum in East Stroudburg, Pennsylvania during the Fall.
0 comments:
Post a Comment