Musings On Art

An Angel of Night

The bright star I had wished upon;
In its light was she borne.
And with her golden wings drawn
Gave herself before morn.

Silent, her strong pinions of flight
She held me in her spell.
Under the veil of a waning night
I made love to an angel.

Ere the sun could bear witness,
Her silent wings took flight,
Carrying my spectral mistress,
An angel, away into night.

Because of my interest in Science Fiction when I was in my teens, I was introduced to the art of Boris Vallejo, and Frank Frazetta in comic books and on the covers of paperback novels many years ago. The picture above was from the hand of Vallejo. For an excuse to post it, I threw together a brief poem.

The next picture is a Frazetta rendering for the Edgar Rice Burroughs novel, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar. Like Vajello, Franzetta was known for drawing scantily clad, if clad at all, characters.

The pic and the subject of Tarzan has given me an excuse for using a joke I have been saving.

When Jane initially met Tarzan the Ape Man, she was immediately attracted to his rippling muscles and that loin cloth. While questioning him about his life, she asked him what he did for sex. "Tarzan not know sex," he replied. Jane explained to him what sex was and Tarzan said, "Oh ... Tarzan use hole in trunk of tree." Horrified, she said, "Tarzan, you have it all wrong, but i will show you how to do it properly." With that, she removed all her clothing and laid down on the ground. "Here," she said, "You must put it in here." Tarzan removed his loin cloth ... stepped closer with his huge manhood ready. He then gave her an almighty kick right in her crotch. Jane rolled around in agony for what seemed an eternity. Eventually she managed to gasp for air and screamed, "What in the Hell did you do that for?" He said, "Tarzan check for bees."

In this, another Frazetta work, one might might surmise that he was the father of teenage daughters. He knew they were a handful. Perhaps he didn't want to let go of them.

Studying the picture, I also am struck by the fact that the girls are not jumping for safety. Indeed, they are holding on, not wanting to let go. To Mr. Frazetta I can only say, "Sometimes they don't want to leave home."

The title of this work is The Reassembled Man. This is probably the title of a book that featured this painting, but I am not familiar with it. I simply found the picture interesting. As such, for the purposes of my post, I have given it the name The Handful. (Although a Sam & Dave song title did occur to me.)

Many of you have no doubt seen those air-brushed paintings on the sides of vans and trucks. Many of them are reproductions of the works of Vajello and Frazetta. The Silver Warrior was painted on one of my cousin's vans. Matching the color of his van the image was striking and beautiful.

This Vajello work, The Birth, was on the doors of his pick up truck. The color of the truck blended perfectly with the painting. There were some occasional protests from some parents when he would drive up in front of the school to drop off and pick up his kid. One parent sued that the painting was dirty and shouldn't be viewed by the school kids. It was ruled to be art and that it was not offensive or pornography by a local judge.

Frazetta's cartoons often dealt with Fantasy and Science Fiction. This one deals with the paradox of time travel, wherein a simple box of cigars introduced to the Neanderthals changes the course of history. While one caveman, by virtue of smoking a cigar, stands erect before Cro-Magnon arrives on the scene. (Note the caveman who has yet to sample a smoke.)

Of course, there is more to life than a good cigar. There was, as there is now, the dating scene. You don't think Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble were the first cavemen to appreciate a good woman. Sure, Prehistoric dating could be a drag, but look where we are today. Vajello and Frazetta are probably direct ascendants of the early men who painted on the walls of their caves. Thus was given birth to the first interior decoraters, their wives.

No.528