The Tempest 1988

Frank Frazetta made this painting, The Tempest, without a known date, using oils I would guess. There’s a lot of drama in this painting. The colour palette is all warm oranges and browns, contrasted with cool white, creating an atmosphere of impending doom. I love how physical this painting is, how the brushstrokes seem to build up the form of the figure from the bottom. The paint is applied in thick layers, giving the surface a tactile quality. Looking at the dark stormy sky, you can see how the artist has used a dry brush technique to create a sense of texture and depth. It’s almost sculptural, like the paint is being pushed and pulled across the surface. Frazetta’s work always reminds me of the paintings of Caravaggio; both artists have such a flair for the dramatic, and that same way of using light and shadow to create a sense of depth and emotion. Both feel so timeless, like they could have been made at any point in history. It’s an ongoing conversation.