Tribute to Paul Privitera by his daughter Diana

Bill asked me if I would write a tribute to my late father, Paul Privitera, who passed away suddenly January 3, 2017. Although he had been unwell for several years his death was very unexpected. During his latter years the interest that ERBzine showed in his work was always a source of great pride for him and I’d like to thank Bill Hillman for his continued support and for giving him a platform to showcase his work.

It is fitting that he found an audience over in America as the movies, culture and comic books of the U.S. were his main inspiration and he visited the country several times over the years. In addition to Tarzan he was a big fan of DC Comics, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, JRR Tolkien and Hammer Horror films. But he was also a great admirer of the old masters and would often to take us to galleries in London to look at the paintings of Monet and Turner. 

I was amazed to see how many pieces of artwork he has sent to ERBzine, many of which I’d never seen. Dad was always fascinated with technology and most of his creations shown here were done on the computer. Although I confess I have a particular fondness for his acrylic paintings and pencil drawings. 

Growing up, he was often to be found at the dining table with a canvas propped against his easel or sketching in a notepad. His father before him, Salvatore Privitera, was also an artist who painted almost compulsively. Dad encouraged both my sister and I to draw and paint but I was always acutely aware that I did not possess even an iota of his talent. 

I’d like to take this opportunity to share some of his earlier paintings, many of which we found recently in his loft, to show you the range of his work. 

He was a great artist and an inspiring father, who is greatly missed.