It would be hard to imagine the modern entertainment world without the work of Frank Frazetta. He’s the standard by which fantasy artists are measured and the influence of his images is far reaching.

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Fans of comics, video games, fantasy movies, and action spectaculars owe a lot of their gratitude to Frank. Take the God of War series for example. While Kratos and his world may exist in the realm of Greek Mythology, the style, presentation and character of that series is pure Frazetta.

Frazetta is best known for his “Conan” paintings that he did for the covers of Conan books. Frazetta works mostly in oil paint but is an extremely accomplished draftsman. Frazetta’s images are strong and often violent. Brawny men, buxom women, and crazed demons. It is for this reason that Frazetta is often excluded from the realm of Fine Art.

I personally feel that this is a very narrow view considering the obvious talent of his works. Also, when you look at pieces of classical art, we see a common theme of religion, mythology, and violence. Does the fact that one was paid for by the church and the other made for commercial profit exclude the latter from being Fine Art? Regardless, non-fans of fantasy art may dismiss his work as commercial and lacking true meaning in real life, but only a fool would doubt his talent or his impact on our culture.

If you’re interested in Frazetta and his work I suggest you check out the documentary Frank Frazetta: Painting With Fire.