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| Frazetta image used without permission |
When I saw this image (It was used as the thumbnail for a YouTube documentary about Frazetta, that I didn't watch) it struck me that the pose Conan has is a little odd: arms straight down, elbows rolled out and locked, shoulders hunched, head down. Yet his hands are relaxed, one propped on his sword hilt. My first thought was, that this looks a guy operating a jackhammer. Pushing down with both arms, elbows locked, head down, shoulders hunched, and muscles all flexed.
So that's my theory, Frazetta saw a guy operating a jackhammer and the pose stuck with him.
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| Not 'jacked' like Conan, but... |
Like I said, maybe I'm crazy, but Frazetta told this interviewer that he banged out in a day. Probably took a few weeks, and actually went through a few iterations, including finishing up some of the details that the first draft didn't have yet when it was apparently shown to the Lancer folks. But he says he did it from his imagination, which makes me think he meant without models.
The more modern way of operating a jackhammer isn't like this, the weight of the tool does more of the work, and operators usually have a more of a relaxed grip, with bent elbows to help absorb the shock, but when I was a kid, jackhammers were muscled into the ground by leaning on them really hard. And I'm old enough now, that my childhood years are just a few years after this painting was done, so this is how I recall seeing construction workers on the roads operating these things. I can imagine Frazetta stopped on the road in traffic, caused by construction, and taking a look at a guy working the jackhammer into the pavement on a hot day and that image sticking with him until this painting.
Frazetta went on to do a series of Conan book cover art paintings, which you can see here.
Prove me wrong.
