Wednesday, May 4, 2011

70's Space Art by Vincent DiFate

Here's a selection of space paintings by the great Vincent DiFate, one of my favorite sci-fi artists of the 1970s. I remember that around fifth or sixth grade, I had a bunch of notebooks with DiFate's art on the covers - in fact, I'm pretty sure that one of them was the first painting above.

DiFate's art graced a number of science fiction paperbacks over the years, and - along with Lou Feck and Bob Larkin - he was one of the first cover artists whose style I learned to identify at a glance. I really love his sleek, powerful-looking spaceships and lush, colorful spacescapes. Enjoy.
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11 comments:

  1. James MaliszewskiMay 4, 2011 at 9:09 AM

    I had the very same notebook, but I never knew the artist's name until now. Thanks for this amazing blast from the past.

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  2. AnonymousMay 4, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    Ah, another staple of 70's sci-fi! Thanks for posting those gorgeous prints. The third one reminds me a lot of Space: 1999's Ultra Probe from the episode "Dragon's Domain," but that's just the S99 fan in me, I suppose. That notwithstanding, DiFate's artwork does evoke a sense of power & majesty that just makes me want to go 'out there' all the more!
    CR

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  3. SteveMay 4, 2011 at 10:56 AM

    I had those same notebooks and novels! Even one of my old Trapper-keepers had his great art on the cover. I always wondered who he was and what he was doing now. Good memories!

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  4. dusty abellMay 4, 2011 at 2:29 PM

    Great selection of work by a fantastic artist... that second piece is pretty iconic to me, it just feels like my childhood.... Thanks for putting a name to some of these great cover artists!

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  5. Martin R. ThomasMay 4, 2011 at 3:05 PM

    This is the kind of science-fiction art that I grew up with - thanks for posting!

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  6. Desert ScribeMay 6, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    I had some of those pictures as a kid--in fact, I still have a folder with that first illustration.

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  7. LordSomberMay 26, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    Great stuff. Check out Syd Mead.

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  8. Henry GibbensMay 30, 2011 at 3:40 AM

    Now you have made me go and add another art book to my collection.

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  9. Tony Island BlogJune 4, 2011 at 1:37 AM

    Yes, very iconic artist.

    Point of interest - there's a trading card set of his art called "Blueprints of the Future".

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  10. AnonymousJune 25, 2011 at 11:20 PM

    Fantastic post! Always loved his illustrations. Just discovered this blog and I'm
    sure I'll be spending a lot of time here. Thanks for all of your work, Christopher.

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  11. AnonymousJuly 2, 2011 at 7:39 AM

    Loved this guy's art as a kid- love it now.

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