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Frank Frazetta, painter of the most badbass beastly manly dark fantasy shit you can imagine, died as a result of a stroke this morning, in a hospital near his home. He was 82.
If you know who Frazetta is, you know that we've lost a legendary fantasy artist. If you're not familiar with the name, he was an amazing painter born out of the comic world, who went on to single-handedly define an entire subgenre of fantasy art. The men were brawny and ripped beyond reality, packing steel, and often depicted in the act of owning the shit out of some savages or hellbeasts (that, or glaring menacingly at the viewer), and the women (incoming NSFW links) were fleshy, usually lacking much clothing (but hey, so were the men, usually), had wild hair and distinctly large butts (a Frazetta trademark), and even the frailest-looking of them looked like they could probably have kicked your ass.
His work appeared on many a Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan paperback and comic book cover, and many a Molly Hatchet album sleeve, and of course, he did many standalone paintings. He even collaborated with Ralph Bakshi on an (underrated, in my opinion) animated film called Fire and Ice, in the early '80s. His work is wildly influential, and the "look" of modern dark fantasy would not be what it is today, were it not for Frank Frazetta. Hell, even Zelda wouldn't look the same (check out the first paragraph under the "Fantasy Made Reality" header), were it not for him.
Anyone interested in learning more about the man should absolutely check out the fantastic documentary Frazetta: Painting with Fire. His work was visceral, violent, and erotic, but still nuanced and detailed, widely imitated but never surpassed. The world has lost a cornerstone of modern fantasy art. Rest in peace.
If you know who Frazetta is, you know that we've lost a legendary fantasy artist. If you're not familiar with the name, he was an amazing painter born out of the comic world, who went on to single-handedly define an entire subgenre of fantasy art. The men were brawny and ripped beyond reality, packing steel, and often depicted in the act of owning the shit out of some savages or hellbeasts (that, or glaring menacingly at the viewer), and the women (incoming NSFW links) were fleshy, usually lacking much clothing (but hey, so were the men, usually), had wild hair and distinctly large butts (a Frazetta trademark), and even the frailest-looking of them looked like they could probably have kicked your ass.
His work appeared on many a Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan paperback and comic book cover, and many a Molly Hatchet album sleeve, and of course, he did many standalone paintings. He even collaborated with Ralph Bakshi on an (underrated, in my opinion) animated film called Fire and Ice, in the early '80s. His work is wildly influential, and the "look" of modern dark fantasy would not be what it is today, were it not for Frank Frazetta. Hell, even Zelda wouldn't look the same (check out the first paragraph under the "Fantasy Made Reality" header), were it not for him.
Anyone interested in learning more about the man should absolutely check out the fantastic documentary Frazetta: Painting with Fire. His work was visceral, violent, and erotic, but still nuanced and detailed, widely imitated but never surpassed. The world has lost a cornerstone of modern fantasy art. Rest in peace.
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