Alex (1970) Ross Art for Sale at Auction

b. 1970 -

Alex Ross (American, b. 1970)

Currently the pre-eminent and acclaimed comic artist in the world, Ross was influenced by illustrators Norman Rockwell and J.C. Lyendecker but he also acknowledges Salvador Dali as a major influence on his imaginative and hyper-realistic style. A graduate of Chicago’s American Academy of Art (where his mother had studied), Ross acquired the discipline and fundamental tools of his craft which he would refine for his unique application of painting for comics.

By painting comics, Ross realized new opportunities for graphic interpretation and rendering – and was able to re-imagine the comic panel as a more fluid and painterly medium. Working from live models, his work began to explore new approaches to comic art and after a brief stint in an advertising agency, he teamed with Marvel Comics editor Kurt Busiek on a graphic novel that interpreted the Marvel Universe realistically and with classic visual interpretations.

With the reaction to this new form, comic fans flocked to Ross’s work and style, encouraging a new era in graphic novels, comic magazines and more mature and visually developed interpretations of comic content.