Roy Krenkel
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Roy Gerald Krenkel (1918 – 24 February 1983), often referred to as simply RGK, was an American illustrator who specialized in fantasy drawings and paintings.
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[edit] Influences and study
His artwork revealed the strong influence of artist Norman Lindsay, in addition to Franklin Booth, Joseph Clement Coll and J. Allen St. John. In 1963, Krenkel won the Hugo Award for Best Professional Artist. Before serving in World War II he studied with George Brant Bridgeman at the Art Students League of New York. After WWII, he attended Burne Hogarth's classes at the Cartoonists and Illustrators School, which became the School of Visual Arts. There he met a group of young cartoonists, including Joe Orlando, Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson. Frazetta noted, "I met Roy Krenkel back in 1949 or 1950, and he has never ceased to be a constant source of inspiration to me — a truly conscientious artist who will not tolerate incompetence."
Krenkel sometimes collaborated with Frazetta and Williamson on pages the trio drew for EC Comics, and his splash page contribution to Williamson's “Food for Thought” (Incredible Science Fiction 32, November-December 1955), a highly detailed alien landscape, is often regarded as a peak achievement in comic book illustration. Krenkel only drew one solo story for EC, the unsigned “Time to Leave” (Incredible Science Fiction 31, September-October, 1955), displaying a futuristic cityscape of architectural splendors.
[edit] Magazines and paperbacks
He did several illustrations for science fiction magazines. Science fiction author Harry Harrison recalled, “Krenkel was a master penciler. I know. When he shared a studio with me and Wally Wood, I inked one of his illustrations for Marvel Science Fiction magazine. The influence of fine artists Norman Lindsay and Alma Tadema can be seen in his work.”
Notable are his 23 paperback book cover paintings for Edgar Rice Burroughs or other fantasy writers published by Donald A. Wollheim at Ace Books and later DAW Books during the 1960s. Krenkel also contributed to several science-fantasy fan publications, including Richard A. Lupoff's Xero, the Burroughs-oriented ERB-dom and Amra, devoted to the works of Robert E. Howard.
Danton Burroughs, the grandson of Edgar Rice Burroughs, commented, “Roy Krenkel was a key factor in the 1960s revival of my grandfather's writings. Krenkel's illustrations forever secured his position as one of the all-time great Edgar Rice Burroughs illustrators.”
[edit] References
Spurlock, J. David and Klugerman, Barry, with commentary by Frank Frazetta and Al Williamson. RGK: The Art of Roy G. Krenkel (Vanguard, 2005).
