Night Walk Paperback (Banner Press, 1967)

An absolutely classic fantasy painting by the undisputed master of fantasy art! This iconic image hails from what many collectors feel is Frazetta's prime period, when he completely reinvented the imagery of popular culture with his paperback covers -- notably the Conan series, which he created at the same time as this cover -- as well as his famed Warren magazine covers, among many others. Following his celebrated 1950s comic book and comic strip art, Frazetta's 1960s paperback covers, primarily for the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, announced the arrival of his artistic sensibility into the broader culture, reinvigorating the science fiction and fantasy genres for an entirely new generation. However, it was the next wave of covers, such as "Spider Man", that truly established his fully mature, revolutionary personal vision -- on which his ever-growing reputation stands. This bold, detailed painting is definitive of the artist's radical approach to composition and color while also showcasing his dynamic anatomical mastery. In addition to standing on their own as some of the most memorable and movingly powerful images from an era -- as witnessed not only from the scores of copies of books Frazetta was responsible for selling, but also for the hugely popular posters found seemingly everywhere in the 1970s -- the artist excelled more than any other at creating an expansive narrative in the minds of viewers -- as is immediately apparent with this incredible image.