For Your Consideration . . .

[Terry Doyle]

Some background info on Matania . . .

 

 

"Fortunino Matania was born in Naples, Italy on 16 April 1881. He was the son of artist Eduoardo Matania. Fortunino studied in his father’s studio, designing a soap advertisement at the age of nine and exhibiting his first work at Naples Academy at eleven. By the age of 14, he was helping his father produce illustrations for books and magazines. His talent was recognised by the editor of the Italian periodical L’Illustrazione Italiania and Matania produced weekly illustrations for the magazine between 1895 and 1902.

 

At the age of 20, he commenced working in Paris for Illustration Francaise and, in 1902, was invited to London to cover the coronation of Edward VII for The Graphic. Matania would subsequently cover every major event – marriage, christening, funeral and coronation of British royalty up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

 

In 1904, he joined the staff of The Sphere where some of his most famous work would appear, including his illustrations of the sinking of the RMS TITANIC in 1912. Matania exhibited regularly at the RA and Royal Institute from 1908, his work appearing in most of the principal magazines in Britain and America, including the Illustrated London News, London Magazine, Nash’s, Printer’s Pie and others.

 

When Britannia and Eve was launched in 1929, Matania became one of its first contributors. For 19 years, he wrote and illustrated historical stories for the magazine. One of the most accomplished realistic illustrators and artists of his time, his work during the Great War was immensely popular and appeared in nearly every major news magazine, Allied, neutral and Central Powers alike. Working mainly for The Sphere as their star illustrator, his work was sold to other magazines and publications worldwide. Literally tens of millions of readers saw war time events through the medium of his weekly illustrations and he played an important role in defining people’s mental image of what Great War battlefield scenes and soldiers looked like. He was also employed by the British government and commissioned by individual regiments. He visited the front line to view wartime conditions at first-hand and talked to soldiers about their experiences. From sketches and memory, he would then finish a painting, often in a few days. Drawing on personal experience and technique, as well as on information from archive photographs or prints, he would then set to work composing and finishing the required illustration. Rich in detail and carefully composed, his paintings often depicted heroic or romantic scenes. To our sensibilities, they appear at times to be overly sentimental, if not somewhat theatrical. On a practical level, he had to tell or illustrate a story in a single scene. That meant using stock poses and physical stances, often borrowed from the performing arts, so that viewers could readily grasp the underlying emotions and assumptions. For that reason, Matania has been described as ‘a photographer who used paint and brush’. Indeed, his illustrations are so realistically executed that at first sight they can be mistaken for photographs.

 

Quite often Matania’s illustrations were published as two page spreads in news magazines. Publication of his work in The Sphere was always of the best quality, but due to the limitations of technology, and because of the cost, colour printing was not always feasible, so most of Matania’s Great War work is now known to us in grey tone or sepia, sometimes even rendered into highly contrasting black and white engravings in other less expensive magazines.

 

Matania also illustrated a number of Edgar Rice Burroughs novels in the 1920s and 1930s and much like Lawrence Alma-Tadema, he became renowned for his realistic paintings of the ancient world. His talents also made him a popular illustrator for advertising, posters and catalogues, working for Ovaltine, Burberry’s and many others. His reputation was such, that he was visited in his studio in London by Pietro Annigoni, William Russell Flint, and John Singer Sargent.

 

During the Second World War, many of his paintings and drawings were destroyed when his studio was obliterated during the Blitz. However, many examples of his art still survive. Matania was also recommended to Hollywood director Cecil B De Mille and produced a number of paintings of Rome and Egypt, from which authentic designs could be made for the biblical epic The Ten Commandments.

 

Towards the end of his life, Matania illustrated features for the popular educational weekly magazine Look and Learn. He died on 8 February 1963."

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

New in today . . .

 

 

EAGLES FLY HIGH cover painting by Allesandro Biffignandi

 

Originally published in 1965, for the UK War Picture Library series of comic-books, this was reprinted years later and given new cover elements - as per the following photograph showing the artwork with acetate overlay (sorry about the camera reflection):

 

[Terry Doyle]

Just in today . . .

 

 

Magic the Gathering - 'Sandsower' by Kev Walker

 

Also posted in my CAF with an additional image of the trading card this was painted for (see link at bottom of this post).

[Terry Doyle]

Arrived today . . .

 

 

HOUSEWIFE MURDERER cover by Richard Sala

 

Really like Sala's quirky style. I usually lean towards a more illustrative style, but there's something about Sala's work that delights me.

 

Maybe it's the sense of fun?

 

Not sure where, or if, this was published. Anyone know, please enlighten me, thanks.

[Terry Doyle]

Message I received from Richard Sala:

 

"It's nice to see the art you attached again! It is the art for the dust jacket for a book called "Rebuilding Coventry" by Sue Townsend. I think I may still have some extra dust jackets around, and if I do, I'll include one in your package. It's nice to know that art ended up in the UK!"

 

Published in 1988, Rebuilding Coventry is a satire of Eighties Britain and concerns a woman – Coventry Dakin – who goes on the run after accidentally killing her neighbour and ends up in London living on the streets.

 

[Terry Doyle]

Received some more originals directly from the artist, Richard Sala, yesterday.

 

Here's a taster:

 

 

Richard very kindly included, in my art package, a personalised sketch on the reverse of a postcard:

 

I've created a 'Richard Sala' gallery within my CAF. Latest additions now up for viewing at:

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/galleryroom.asp?gsub=144780

[Terry Doyle]

New in today . . .

 

A couple of small Fantasy paintings by British artist, Wayne England.

 

 

Scoundrels of Skullport

 

Image size about 6" x 8" for, I think, Dungeons and Dragons card sets (I don't collect them, so wouldn't know)

 

Forgive the lousy scan, the original is a lot sharper and more colourful.

 

Link to the other artwork:

 

http://cdn.comicartfans.com/Images/Category_1865/subcat_140935/Wayne%202.jpg

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

Arrived, earlier this week, some more Richard Sala goodness . . .

 

 

The Thirteen Fingers (from Maniac Killer Strikes Again), pages 6 and 8

 

 

[Nexus]

Very nice, Terry! I really like some of the superhero commissions he's been doing lately. I'm not a superhero guy, even, but I dig his take on the genre.

[Terry Doyle]

Very nice, Terry! I really like some of the superhero commissions he's been doing lately. I'm not a superhero guy, even, but I dig his take on the genre.

 

Thanks, Felix. Richard can be contacted directly and regularly updates his listing of originals for sale (all very reasonably priced):

 

http://www.comicartcollective.com/sala/

[Terry Doyle]

Three new Wayne England colour illustrations in today.

 

First up:

 

 

Image size is small (about 6" x 5"), very finely detailed. Forgive the lousy scan (I'm using an A4 scanner and the art board doesn't rest flush against the glass).

 

Hand-written inscription (in pencil, just outside of image) reads:

 

Art title - Half Giant Thug Path

Release - Dark Sun Campaign Guide

Wayne England 2010

[Terry Doyle]

Next up:

 

 

Again, the image is not as sharp as it should be (scanner too small for the art to rest flat against the glass, hence a slightly blurred image). Image size is about 7" x 4".

 

Pencil inscription reads:

 

Chapter 12 - The Prophecy

FAO - John Robertson

W England 2012

[Pete Marino]

So Terry, are you going to his out and sifting through his stuff every weekend??

 

you are getting quite the collection. I dig his work.

[Garf]

When I look at some of the fantasy art you have it does rekindle my interest in it. Lovely collection.

 

I'm still waiting for something from the Ian Livingstone / Steve Jackson FF books to pop up again (although I haven't had a real good look around recently). Sadly last time I saw something I had recently made a purchase. *sigh*

[Terry Doyle]

Last, but not least . . .

 

 

Image size is about 11" x 4" (and you'll be aware of the scanner spiel that prevents me from uploading a much sharper image!).

 

Pencil inscription (outside of image) reads:

 

"Elder Evils"

Art Title - Entering the Temple

W England, '07

[Pete Marino]

When I look at some of the fantasy art you have it does rekindle my interest in it. Lovely collection.

 

I'm still waiting for something from the Ian Livingstone / Steve Jackson FF books to pop up again (although I haven't had a real good look around recently). Sadly last time I saw something I had recently made a purchase. *sigh*

 

I'd love to get a Wayne Reynolds painting from Dnd 3.5 personally....

[Terry Doyle]

So Terry, are you going to his out and sifting through his stuff every weekend??

 

you are getting quite the collection. I dig his work.

 

No, they cropped up on eBay within the past few weeks!

 

 

 

 

[Terry Doyle]

When I look at some of the fantasy art you have it does rekindle my interest in it. Lovely collection.

 

I'm still waiting for something from the Ian Livingstone / Steve Jackson FF books to pop up again (although I haven't had a real good look around recently). Sadly last time I saw something I had recently made a purchase. *sigh*

 

Thanks, Garf. I just go for what strikes an emotional chord with me (buy what you like, etc.).

 

With the Fantasy art, and I know nothing about publication details, I have my own personal interpretation of the image (how it speaks to me/spurs my imagination).

[Garf]

When I look at some of the fantasy art you have it does rekindle my interest in it. Lovely collection.

 

I'm still waiting for something from the Ian Livingstone / Steve Jackson FF books to pop up again (although I haven't had a real good look around recently). Sadly last time I saw something I had recently made a purchase. *sigh*

 

I'd love to get a Wayne Reynolds painting from Dnd 3.5 personally....

 

*rolls*

 

yup... that's really cool

 

 

 

@Terry. Agree with some of your motivation..I buy what I love when I can afford it. Definitely with you on that one. Haven't manged to maintain any semblance of focus yet but the box ticking is coming to an end now. Having a lot of fun picking up low value bits and bobs with ebay hobby money only and really appreciating that I have enough now to allow my eye to reset from piece to piece when I take time to browse, doesn't seem to lose any shine now like it did when I only had one or two things up.

 

Haven't been brave enough to stray outside of the box ticking yet i.e. into stuff I don't instantly recognise, commissions or unexplored tastes that I would be unsure about how I would respond to them long term.

[Terry Doyle]

When I look at some of the fantasy art you have it does rekindle my interest in it. Lovely collection.

 

I'm still waiting for something from the Ian Livingstone / Steve Jackson FF books to pop up again (although I haven't had a real good look around recently). Sadly last time I saw something I had recently made a purchase. *sigh*

 

I'd love to get a Wayne Reynolds painting from Dnd 3.5 personally....

 

*rolls*

 

yup... that's really cool

 

 

 

@Terry. Agree with some of your motivation..I buy what I love when I can afford it. Definitely with you on that one. Haven't manged to maintain any semblance of focus yet but the box ticking is coming to an end now. Having a lot of fun picking up low value bits and bobs with ebay hobby money only and really appreciating that I have enough now to allow my eye to reset from piece to piece when I take time to browse, doesn't seem to lose any shine now like it did when I only had one or two things up.

 

Haven't been brave enough to stray outside of the box ticking yet i.e. into stuff I don't instantly recognise, commissions or unexplored tastes that I would be unsure about how I would respond to them long term.

 

Well, the total for these three latest Wayne England originals worked out at less than £100, including p&p (about $150).

 

Lots of great art out there, at affordable prices!