Classic Fantasy Illustration by Frank Frazetta

Everyone knows the fantastic paintings of Boris Vallejo. Many consider him the founder of fantasy illustration, but this is not entirely true. American artist and illustrator Frank Frazetta created similar paintings a quarter of a century before the Peruvian master. By the way, Vallejo himself never hid the fact that it was Frazetta who had a huge influence on the formation of his style.

Frank Frazetta was born on February 9, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian immigrants. He began drawing in high school, and after graduating, he entered the Brooklyn Academy of Art. Frank was very lucky - his mentor was the famous artist Michael Falanga. He was a friend and patron of Frazetta until his death in 1944.

At the age of 16, Frazetta became interested in comics. He decided for himself that he would work in this field. His plans came true - the talented artist was noticed by major studios and he did not sit idle. Frazetta's most famous brainchildren were the comics "Buck Rogers" and "Flash Gordon".

In 1964, the artist first took up book illustrations. He started with serious orders straight away – bestsellers about Conan and Tarzan. From that moment on, Frazetta also became known as an illustrator. Later, he participated in the creation of cartoons, for example, he helped Ralph Bakshi work on the animated film Fire and Ice.

Frank Frazetta liked to depict the naked muscular bodies of men and women. Sometimes his wife, Ellie Frazetta, acted as a model. The artist had a special, unique style that could not be confused with anything else. Not only was he admired. There were also enough critics who called his style old-fashioned and gloomy. But the voices of the haters were drowned out by the general mass of approving reviews from fans, of whom there were many not only in the USA and Canada, but also in South America and Europe.

In the early 2000s, Frazetta suffered two strokes one after another. His right hand was paralyzed, but he continued to paint with his left. In 2009, the artist's wife Ellie died after a serious illness. Her death greatly affected the master and he fell into severe depression. Frank Frazetta passed away a year later, on May 10, 2010.

Frazetta is considered a classic of fantasy illustration and the most expensive artist of his genre. One of his paintings was sold at auction in 2009 for $1 million. So far, no one has managed to beat this record in the world of modern fantasy paintings. In 1999, a museum was opened in Frazetta's house in Pennsylvania.

There is an unpleasant and almost detective story connected with Frazetta's valuable paintings. In the year of the artist's wife's death, one of his sons, Alfonso Frank Jr., stole several paintings from his father's house. He needed money and hoped to sell them profitably. But the theft was noticed in time and the thief was arrested. In court, three other Frazetta children acted as victims.

The young man faced a long prison term, but his father forgave him and the lawsuit was withdrawn. Now Alfonso is one of the managers of his great father's museum.