Alberto Breccia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Alberto Breccia |
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Alberto Breccia, right, pictured with a helper at his workshop (1953)
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| Born | April 15, 1919 Montevideo, Uruguay |
| Died | November 10, 1993 (aged 74) Buenos Aires, Argentina |
| Nationality | Argentine |
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| Pseudonym(s) | El Viejo (The Old Man) |
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Notable works
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Mort Cinder Perramus The Eternaut (1969 edition) Adaptations of Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos |
| Children | Enrique Breccia |
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Alberto Breccia (born April 15, 1919 – died November 10, 1993) was a famous comic book artist. He was born in Uruguay but became an Argentine citizen. Breccia was known for his amazing drawing and inking skills. Many people around the world, especially in Latin America and Europe, consider him one of the best comic creators ever. His son, Enrique Breccia, and daughter, Patricia Breccia, also became comic artists. Famous comic writer Frank Miller even said that modern comics "all started with Breccia."
Contents
About Alberto Breccia
Early Life and First Jobs
Alberto Breccia was born in Montevideo, Uruguay. When he was three years old, his family moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina. After finishing school, Breccia worked in a factory. In 1938, he got a job at El Resero magazine. There, he wrote articles and drew pictures for the covers.
Starting His Comic Career
Breccia began working as a professional artist in 1939. He joined a company called Manuel Láinez. He drew for popular magazines like Tit-Bits, Rataplán, and El Gorrión. For these magazines, he created comic strips such as Mariquita Terremoto and Kid Río Grande. He also drew El Vengador, which was based on a famous novel.
Working with Other Artists
In the 1950s, Breccia became a special member of the "Group of Venice". This group included Italian artists who had moved to Argentina. Some of these artists were Hugo Pratt and Alberto Ongaro. Breccia and Hugo Pratt even started the Pan-American School of Art in Buenos Aires.
In 1957, Breccia joined Editorial Frontera. This was a publishing company led by Héctor Germán Oesterheld. Together, they created several stories for the Ernie Pike series. In 1958, Breccia's series Sherlock Time appeared in Hora Cero Extra magazine. Oesterheld wrote the stories for this series too.
International Work
Around 1960, Breccia started drawing for publishers in Europe. He worked for a British company called Fleetway. For them, he drew some western and war stories. This work did not last very long. Later, in the late 1960s, his son Enrique Breccia also drew war stories for Fleetway.
Famous Collaborations
Breccia and Oesterheld worked together on a very important comic strip called Mort Cinder. This series started in 1962. The character Mort Cinder looked like Breccia's assistant, Horacio Lalia. The other character, Ezra Winston, looked like Breccia himself. Mort Cinder was published until 1964.
In 1968, Breccia and his son Enrique Breccia drew a comic book about the life of Che Guevara. Oesterheld wrote the story for this project. This comic book is thought to be a reason why Oesterheld later disappeared during a difficult time in Argentina.
In 1969, Oesterheld rewrote the story of El Eternauta. Breccia drew this version for an Argentinian magazine. He used many new and experimental drawing styles. His unique art made the comic very different from the original. Breccia did not want to change his style, even though it was not what people expected.
New Art Styles
During the 1970s, Breccia made big changes in how he used black and white, and color. He worked on series like Un tal Daneri and Chi ha paura delle fiabe?. These were written by Carlos Trillo. For Chi ha paura delle fiabe?, which was a funny take on Brothers Grimm's fairy tales, he experimented with textures. He mixed collage, acrylic paint, and watercolor. This unique style was later used by other artists in the 1980s.
Other stories Breccia worked on include Cthulhu Mythos and Buscavidas. He also drew a Historia grafica del Chile and Perramus. Perramus was inspired by the poet Juan Sasturain. It was a strong message against the difficult government in Argentina at that time.
Alberto Breccia passed away in Buenos Aires in 1993.
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Breccia para niños
