Yoshitaka Amano

Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese artist who is known for specializing in painting, printmaking, and sculpting. He often uses his talents to make character designs for various fictional media. He is best known for his works on the anime series, Vampire Hunter D, Gatchaman, and the video game series, Final Fantasy.




A couple of Amano's biggest inspirations in his art work are western comic books and art nouveau. Art noveau is a very old and classic style of art that was most prominent during the late 19th century and early 20th century. The style features many curved lines and various elements representing nature and the environment all blending together. Both of these art styles are present in Amano's character design concepts for the 1972 anime, Gatchaman (picture above).




Another major inspiration to Amano's works is the style of psychedelic art. Psychedelic art is a visualization of "mind manifesting." Amano makes use of this style with a wide array of colors and shapes, creating works that leave an aura of mystery and imagination going on. The above picture is an example of Amano's use of this style. The picture is concept art from Final Fantasy IX.

According to the book, "The Complete Prints of Yoshitaka Amano" by Hiroshi Unno, that despite Amano having recurring elements in his art style, Amano refused to be bound to just a single style, as he believed that not being restricted to a single style did not mean he had no style at all. As a result, Amano made sure to take into account with every style that he could lay eyes on, so that he could have an idea of every style that existed. This allowed him to get familiar with a large array of very diverse styles, ranging from Arabian Nights to space opera, as well as children's literature to adult pornography.

I personally feel like Amano is a very important artist of the modern society, as he has helped revive old classic techniques and revolutionized many others, creating huge breakthroughs in the art industry. I feel like his works hold a never ending supply of imagination that I really appreciate, as I too enjoy painting in certain similar styles.