Ancients in Their Ways

One of the decadent pleasures of ancient Romans was the enjoyment of bathing, as shown here by Roy Krenkel—his decadent pleasure being to portray the ancients in their ways.

Roy Krenkel — The Tepidarium-Baths of Caracalla

Roy Krenkel — Roman Bath

Roy Krenkel — sketch for Tepidarium

Frail as Ghosts Upon a Wizard-Glass

Roy Krenkel was one of the seven wonders of modern fantasy art (I'll let you know who I think the other six are some other time) (I know you know who at least one of the others is).

But Roy also had a fascination with the historic ancient world, civilized and un. He created many sketch studies over the years, illustrating his vision of ancient times. In doing so, he couldn't help but infuse a bit of fantasy here and there to make it all more lively, bless his soul.

I adore Roy's work, as I know many of you do. I only met him once, for just a few minutes, but during that few we managed to talk about ancient history, as we both treasured books of ancient lore, from Ridpaths to obscure delicacies. From him I bought a couple of books and a printed portfolio.

Presented here is that signed and numbered portfolio of Roy's, showcasing his vision of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

This is from Roy's introduction:

Why seven wonders?

—And why this particular seven?

To Antipater of Sidon we owe their designation, which from one whose travels took place during the second century, B.C. seems, even now, to have been a pretty valid choice.

—And no—the reconstructions presented here are not 'authentic'; (120 ft high bronze statues—with outstretched arms—in 300 B.C.? Nonsense of course!) Rather—mood—the 'feel of antiquity'—the splendid, golden profligacy of men who wrought unlikely dreams in bronze and masonry because they deemed the Gods looked on!

Alone of all the Seven, The Great Pyramid of Khufu remains reasonably intact. Of the Pharos—only the tumbled blocks of causeway and platform foundered upon the shifting plates of the Mediterranean. At Ephesus, and at Halicarnassus, fragments of pediment and pillar attest to temple and tomb that once spelled Glory. Of the rest—no more than words blown across the Gulfs of Time—frail as ghosts upon a wizard-glass!

This portfolio © Roy G. Krenkel 1975

Checklist

Frank Frazetta and Roy Krenkel are forever linked through their decades of work and friendship, inspiring each other on to create their best.

Frank Frazetta — 1950s sketches

Roy Krenkel — Sorcery

As well, they are forever linked to the Edgar Rice Burroughs' oeuvre of work, exciting the imagination more with their paint and ink, than perhaps ERB's words do (though don't get me wrong—they are ripping yarns).

A question came in from one of our good friends, regarding the ERB Ace John Carter books. He was having trouble figuring out just where they originally appeared and how many total there were. He's got four of them, but he can't find an image of a paperback with the universally famous artwork of the A Princess of Mars, and he's wondering what exactly to look for.

Well, first off, there ARE only four John Carter Ace paperbacks from the 60s, and A Princess of Mars is, inexplicably, not one of them. And when the new Ace series, with new Frazetta art, rolled out, none of the John Carter novels were among them. Instead, the hardback editions, published by Nelson Doubleday, presented Frazetta's mature paintings on dust covers and interior pen and inks. And that is where we find maybe the finest interpretations ever of the Barsoom series.

For any help it might provide, I'm posting below a checklist of ERB Ace paperbacks by Frazetta and Krenkel, gathered by Bruce Brenner in the lovely Fanzine Qua Brot, published some years ago. Disclosure: I did some editing to present only the information pertinent to this post.

An Incident on Barsoom

Ah. Roy Krenkel and Barsoom.

Need I say more?

Of Two Magicians

Norman Lindsay created narrative paintings that cried out for narration. Gee, the title is helpful, but still, what the heck is going on here? Still, don't really need to know.

Norman Lindsay — Of Two Magicians —1947

This is one of Lindsay's largest watercolors at 80 X 62 cm, and below the prep drawing, which, as usual, I like as well or more than the finished painting.

I think Roy Krenkel, much influenced by Lindsay, must have felt much the same way—as his drawings certainly dominated his art output.

Solomon and Sheba

There's just something about a Roy Krenkel drawing that grabs my imagination and just won't let go. There are so many Krenkel drawings out there, waiting to be discovered, that it's like a treasure hunt to gather them together.

Roy Krenkel — Solomon & Sheba

R.E.H.

RGK was enamored with REH as he was with ERB . . .

Conan

Plunder

Kull Triumphant

Ensorcelled

I can never get enough of Krenkel drawings. They are timeless, they are ensorcelled. Even when you look closely and see that some parts aren't drawn all that well, it doesn't matter. Their spell is binding.

Flexing Artistic Muscle

This beautiful ink rendition by Roy Krenkel is of course based on the original painting by PJ Monahan for Tarzan and the Golden Lion, for the December 9, 1922 cover of Argosy Magazine.

It is not a swipe, but pays honor to the classic illustrative history of ERB , as well to flex Krenkel's artistic muscle and 'improve' Tarzan's visual identity.

Above, Roy Krenkel. Below, PJ Monahan—1922

You can certainly see some of the inspiration for Frazetta, as well.