1990's: Page 4

During a recent conversation in his studio I asserted that he had pretty much single-handedly shaken off the constraints of the publishers' expectations in the 1960's and made careers as fantastic artists possible for a whole generation of creators that followed.

That Frazetta became such an influence in contemporary illustration, such a cultural icon, was unexpected and unintentional -- which may partially explain his lasting popularity. He never had a "master plan" beyond putting food on the table, supporting his family, and having fun. He was not an art intellectual trying to pontificate through his work: Frazetta always saw himself as an entertainer and story teller. Yet, never purely illustration, his best works, on the surface, seem to owe little to the time periods in which they appeared. But Frazetta's paintings are open to a wide range of interpretations: whether his canvases are cries for excitement in reaction to the blandness of the Eisenhower 1950's metaphors for the political upheaval of the '60s, celebrations of personal power and individuality in the increasingly depersonalized society of the 1970's, responses to the arms race of the '80's, or quite simply, timeless and arresting escapist art, it's ultimately up to each viewer to determine for him or herself.

The one thing that everyone can agree on is that Frank Frazetta is an original. His cartoon work is charming and funny; his comic art is unmatched in vitality; his fantasy paintings are virile, authoritative, and masterful. His portraiture, figure studies, and religious art (all largely unseen by the public) provide a quiet balance to his more exuberant commercial work. As the 20th Century ends it is natural to reflect on the preceding decades and those who have enriched our lives with their imaginations and personal visions. In the "golden age" of illustration there really were giants: eccentric, monumentally talented geniuses with amazing talent and the uncanny ability to indelibly imprint their dreams on the souls of their audiences. The artists we know, whom we revere and celebrate, didn't create by committee. Didn't follow fads. Didn't imitate their peers. Didn't rely on a singular perception or subject or tool or color palette. Imagination was their only "gimmick." There were giants in those days. And Frazetta is one of them.

Throughout his 50+ year career Frank Frazetta has been lauded and ignored, celebrated and disparaged. He's been called old fashioned and visionary, labeled a pandered to male sexual fantasies and a champion of women's equality. He is a contradiction, fascinating and frustrating at the same time. Love his work or hate it, no one can be indifferent to it.

This may explain the enduring appeal of Frazetta's art: his personality is inseparably enmeshed in his work. Despite his speed of execution and his claims of being "lazy " and a "goof-off," Frazetta has never been able to hack out an assignment and forget about it. Each painting is an investment of his self, a glimpse of his soul. To react only to the conflict in his art is to miss that point; to believe that the work is a paean to violence and a reflection of the artist's bruitishness or arrested adolescence is nonsensical and denies the reality of Frazetta's accomplishments and artistic intent.

Frazetta's art is an affirmation of aspects of the human spirit, a celebration of life. Frank's characters remind us again and again that an individual can triumph over adversity, can succeed through the power of their human presence. That is why his imitators are unsuccessful: in their attempts to duplicate his magic they merely reflect their impressions of his art. Frazetta, on the other hand projects his charisma and skill and intellect. The realized projection of mood and personality – not technique or subject matter – is what makes his drawings and paintings so unmistakably the work of Frank Frazetta.

The list of accomplished artists unknown to the masses is sadly long. But for now we can take pleasure in the visions he shared with us, find joy in his inventiveness, and embrace him as an irascible rebel-without-a-cause of the art world. In the vast international arena of fantastic illustration and contemporary art there are thousands of wonderfully gifted creators...

But only one Frank Frazetta.

" Good or bad," Frank muses, "the one thing I can say about my art is, if I can quote Sinatra, "I did it my way."