The Art of Paul Renaud

[guido de bue]

HI

I just found out.
AL WILIAMSON passed away.

http://blog.newsarama.com/2010/06/14/legendary-al-williamson-1931-2010/

A truly sad day.

Guido
_________________
hakuna matata and test your trivia knowledge at http://www.funtrivia.com/private/main.cfm?tid=62523

[Fons]

A very sad day indeed.
Another great artist passed away, but he will be remembered!!

[Ray-Cuthbert]

This is from Cori Williamson:

"Al Williamson, who for over fifty years drew for both comic books and comic
strips, died June 12, 2010, at age 79. In recent years he suffered from
Alzheimer's disease. He is survived by his wife of thirty-two years, Cori, his
daughter Valerie and his son Victor.

"Williamson was born in New York City in 1931, but spent his first thirteen
years primarily in Bogotá, Colombia. In 1941, his mother took him to see the
science fantasy movie serial Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, an experience
which, combined with his love for comics storytelling, set his career course at
an early age.

"Williamson, who first and foremost considered himself a cartoonist, excelled at
illustrative science fiction, adventure and western stories, pulling inspiration
from both classic comic strips and motion pictures. He is highly regarded both
popularly and critically for his excellent draftsmanship and dynamic
storytelling. Most notably, Williamson was extraordinarily accomplished at
rendering the human figure in motion. His classically proportioned characters
twist and leap with a startlingly vivid illusion of movement in part evolved
from his study of motion picture action choreography.

"Williamson began his professional career in 1948 and achieved popular
recognition in the early 1950s as the youngest and one of the most talented
contributors to the legendary EC line of comics. Beyond EC, Williamson drew
superior work for many comic publishers, including American Comics Group,
Atlas/Marvel, Charlton, Classics Illustrated, Dark Horse, Dell, Harvey, King,
Prize, Toby and Warren. From 1967 until 1980 he produced the art for the King
Features Syndicate's daily Secret Agent Corrigan newspaper strip, and from 1981
to 1984 drew the daily and Sunday Star Wars newspaper strip.

"Beginning in the 1980s Williamson reintroduced himself to a new generation of
comics readers as an inker for DC and then Marvel Comics, enjoying memorable
stints finishing the work of other artists on Superman, Daredevil and
Spidergirl.

"The single comics character, however, with whom Williamson is most identified
would be Flash Gordon. The science fiction adventurer, created in 1932 by Alex
Raymond for King Features, engaged the lifelong imagination of Williamson. He
produced a much beloved series of stories for King Comics' Flash Gordon comic
book in the 1960s. He returned to the character in 1980, drawing a comics
adaptation of the contemporary Flash Gordon motion picture. In the 1990s, he
produced a Flash Gordon mini-series for Marvel Comics and later contributing to
the original Sunday strip. In addition to the stories, he produced countless
other Flash Gordon images for uses in advertising, merchandising and the fan
press.

"He gradually retired from the professional ranks in the early years of the new
century as one of comics' most admired and influential creators. Over his career
he received numerous professional awards, including multiple Harvey and Eisner
Awards and the National Cartoonists Society's 1967 Award for Best Comic Book
Cartoonist.

"Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as an artist—the works mentioned above
represent only a sampling—Williamson deserves recognition as a veteran who often
opened professional doors for many others starting their careers. An impressive
number of comics contributors owe at least part of their success to Williamson's
willingness to recommend and promote new artists and writers to his editorial
contacts.

"Williamson was also an avid collector of comics and illustration art, valuing
the beauty of original drawings produced for comic books and strips long before
the physical art created by commercial artists was popularly appreciated. He
will be fondly remembered by those you knew him for his generosity, his
indefatigable sense of humor and his great enthusiasm in sharing his love of
comics, illustration, movies and music.

"Al Williamson took inspiration from a legion of cartoonists, illustrators and
motion pictures from the first half of the twentieth century and created works
of timeless appeal—and then he passed that inspiration on to new generations of
comics creators.

"The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, a donation in Al's memory be made
to either:

"The Joe Kubert School
37 Myrtle Avenue
Dover, NJ 07801
Attn: Al Williamson Scholarship Fund

"or

"Yesteryears Day Program
2801 Wayne Street
Endwell, NY 13760"

I wish you all the best on a sad day...

Best wishes!
- Ray Cuthbert
_________________
Best wishes!
- Ray Cuthbert
Check out the great selection of Original Art and Recreations for
sale by "Hello Betty!" artist Terry Twigg @
http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=325 - great stuff!

[christophe]

RIP.
The Al Williamson's Flash Gordon was imho the best book published in 2009.

[Paul Renaud]

You just need too read all the tributes and memories of Al Williamson on the Internet to realize he was someone very special. You might have heard that a million times, but he was a role model in so many ways. I've always been impressed by how humble and yet so enthusiastic he was about his work. How much he knew and admired the old masters, and how he shared that love with his fans through his art and words of wisdom.
Through him, we discovered a world made of lines, of adventure, chivalry and most of all, elegance.

The book I cherish the most is The Art Of Al Williamson by James Van Hise, published in 1983. I read that book so many times it almost falls appart now. But it is special because it really gave me a taste of what a great man Al was. And through him, I went to discover so many other great artists of the past. I was 14 when I found that book, and it pretty much did my eduction in many ways.

I wish I had met him. I wish I was able to tell him how much I love and cherish his work and legacy.

My thoughs go to Cori and the Williamson family.

RIP Al Williamson.
_________________
Paul Renaud