Best known for his iconic work on the Final Fantasy series, the art of Japanese illustrator Yoshitaka Amano is being celebrated in Milan. In a remarkable career spanning more than 50 years, Japanese artist Yoshitaka Amano has gained a global following as an animator, illustrator, video game creator and fine artist. Now, his multi-faceted talents are on display in the largest European retrospective of his work, which has opened in Milan at the Fabbrica del Vapore art complex.
The exhibition, titled, “Amano Corpus Animae”, celebrates Amano as a "trans-medium artist", whose Japanese style has been infused with Western influences, from the to Marvel superheroes and . "One of the aims of this exhibition is to give him artistic dignity, to bring, for the first time in Europe, a master like Yoshitaka Amano who until today hasn’t been on display in the big European museums" explains the exhibition curator Fabio Viola. Amano's prolific career across different media - from his start as an animator at the Tatsunoko studio at age 15 to recent work including posters celebrating Puccini’s centenary - reflects his notion that an artist is someone with many talents.
"From what I see in Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, artists cover everything. They did sculptures, costume designs and, of course, paintings,” Amano said during a press preview of the show. Some fans may recognise his work as an animator for Tasunoko, where Amano trained making sketches of the anime version of.