I once talked to a comic book writer who said that some of the best artists told him that they referenced sports photos when drawing their characters, because sports photography was best at capturing a human body in dynamic action. He said that he didn't like Alex Ross's work, because while Ross had a great understanding of human anatomy, there's always something static about his compositions because he uses models standing still. This is how I feel when I compare Frank Frazetta to, say, Boris Vallejo. Frazetta's work is always dynamic, like he captured a still of something in motion.
I once talked to a comic book writer who said that some of the best artists told him that they referenced sports photos when drawing their characters, because sports photography was best at capturing a human body in dynamic action. He said that he didn't like Alex Ross's work, because while Ross had a great understanding of human anatomy, there's always something static about his compositions because he uses models standing still. This is how I feel when I compare Frank Frazetta to, say, Boris Vallejo. Frazetta's work is always dynamic, like he captured a still of something in motion.
Apparently Frank was some kind of athlete and brought that energy to his art, as opposed to a studio portrait attitude.