Cartoonist David Aja sets his body of work on display in Spain
Prior to working on some of the world most famous superheroes, cartoonist David Aja has also produced work for major magazines. His extremely diversified career is now the subject of an exhibition hosted in his Spanish hometown — Valladolid.
David Aja was precocious as a young boy
If anything, cartoonist David Aja could be described as a precocious artist. At 15, he had already come up with the character Hawkeye, who eventually earned him 4 of the 5 Eisner awards that he currently possesses. Today, Aja’s prowess has landed him an exhibition at the Patio Herreriano Museum of Contemporary Spanish Art in Valladolid. Interestingly enough, a key piece of the event is the artist’s first drawing of Hawkeye, which will add a nostalgic touch of retrospective to visitors’ experience.
The exposition will allow visitors to walk through the many artists and styles that have influenced David Aja’s work throughout the years. The cartoonist’s major sources of inspiration would be the works of Bill Sienkiewicz, Frank Miller, David Mazzuchelli, Alex Toth, and Jim Steranko. Influences from painter Egon Schielle and designer and filmmaker Saúl Bass can also be felt. However, none could have been a greater mentor to Aja than Will Eisner himself. When David was still a student, Eisner gifted him Spirit — his own book — that the young boy would use as the basis of many of his sketches. It would not be an understatement to say that, if Will was still alive, he would have been proud to have believed in his then student’s undeniable talent.
The exposition is a massive cannon of Aja’s work
Asier Mensuro, the curator of the event, stressed the importance of retrospective to the exhibition. “The exhibition is infused with the concept of retrospective,” Mensuro explained. “It starts with Aja’s famous Hawkeye drawing, goes through his career as an illustrator between 2000 and 2005 — a part which includes his work for El País, Rolling Stone, Cinemania, Men’s Health and other magazines — and culminates with his work in the world of American comics. His latest project — The Seeds — will be realized alongside Ann Nocetti for Berger Books. It will not see the light of day until 2018.”
David Aja is a great storyteller
One of the things that the visitors of David’s exposition will surely notice is his ability to tell stories. More than just a talented drawer, the cartoonist has proven his ability to concoct compelling plots that are featured at the Patio Herreriano Museum of Contemporary Spanish Art in Valladolid.
“Complete short stories are part of the exhibition,” commented Asier. “One can go through plots surrounding Thor, Captain America, and even Daredevil. Those little excerpts showcase how David Aja is a great storyteller. He is capable of making the action depicted on pages as compelling as the action that unwinds in our everyday lives.”
Moreover, it can be concluded that Aja is a well-rounded artist. Those who will be able to attend his exhibition can be deemed lucky indeed.
