Paul Privitera and his unique
ERB art
Remembered by his daughter Diana
www.erbzine.com/mag60/6031.html
Bill asked me if I would write a
tribute to my late father, Paul Privitera, who passed away suddenly on
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.
