WWI Aviation books cover art

[rainbase]

Alright! Easy!

[rainbase]

Afew more and then I'll go back to work....

[ONEALM]

Greg -

Thanks for posting all those Kotula covers. Jo was a terrific painter and his unique style was directly related to his training which began as a sign painter. His work is calligraphic.

He told me he liked to use a sign-cutter's brush for these works, which gave him a wide brush to wash in those colorful skies and a razor edge to do the detail work too.

He worked for M.A.N. for many years at a time when the original works were the property of the mazgazine. The value today would be astronomical for all the work he did over the years.

I interviewed him right before he passed away in his home in Asbury, New Jersey. His studio was crammed full of work - airplanes, ships, portraits, landscapes, still life, you name it.

He was once of the 5 founders of the American Society of Aviation Artists, a terrfic painter, artist and chrarismatic man.

[rainbase]

Some More Fiction...

[Gregvan]

Thanks for that info on dear old Jo Kotula, Mike. As Jastaflieger said, styles change over time. Even Kotula's art changed over the many years he was doing M.A.N. covers:

[Gregvan]

Hi,

Want to compare styles from different eras (not to mention different continents!)? Here's the cover to the February 1935 pulp fiction magazine "War Birds," by the great Rudolph Belarski:



And here's the cover to the fine 1998 edition of La Grande Guerra Area 1915-1918, edited by Gino Rossato. The artist's name is not printed within the book, but his signature looks like "d renzulli"?

[karrart]

Originally Posted by Gregvan

Hi,

Want to compare styles from different eras (not to mention different continents!)? Here's the cover to the February 1935 pulp fiction magazine "War Birds," by the great Rudolph Belarski

Another Belarski. AAHS has never exactly been a flowing river of WW I stuff, but sometimes they'd pop out something this. The blurb on the inside says "War Birds cover painted in 1931 by Rudi Belarski. This was the last
original painting owned by Belarski and was photographed in 1959 in a parking lot by member William D. Feeny"
Robert Karr
OLD BIRDS STAYING ALIVE - THE AVIATION ART OF ROBERT KARR

[Colin A Owers]

If you want to see some Classic cover paintings look at this link. The copy is worth the money.

ISSUE #22

Colin A Owers

[karrart]

Originally Posted by Colin A Owers

If you want to see some Classic cover paintings look at this link. The copy is worth the money.

ISSUE #22

Colin A Owers

Jeez....thanks- more ways to spend money......I lust for every one of those issues. I also see that in the "coming soon" section they're going to do an article on Belarski.
Looks like lots of treasures in their back catalog!
Robert Karr
OLD BIRDS STAYING ALIVE - THE AVIATION ART OF ROBERT KARR

[Gregvan]

Here is a children's book on the life of Richthofen, illustrated by the prolific illustrator Harry Schaare:



The scene at the bottom comes from the interior and back cover of the book, which contains many colorful illustrations by Schaare and not a single photo. Of course, it's an imaginative depiction of the fight between MvR and Hawker. The illustrations are nice if a bit basic, but the text of this book has to be one of the weirdest version's of MvR's life that I have read anywhere.

Greg