Thread by @knifenun

Today I learned about Antonio Lopez and you will too.

I'm calling this "How A Queer Puerto Rican Illustrator Influenced Jojo's Bizarre Adventure"

It's a thread.

There is a bunch of great art by Antonio Lopez which is directly referenced by Araki and JJBA. This is how art works and my intention is not to call questions of "authenticity," but to let you know about an artist who you'll love if you love JJBA.

So let's talk about him.

Antonio Lopez was born in Utuado, Puerto Rico, but moved to the US when he was 7. He studied at a bunch of cool art schools and began a prestigious career as an illustrator, working for basically every fashion mag ever due to his extreme love for fashion imagery.

His work, I think, is best described as dynamic - it moves, even when its subject is still. It's no wonder Araki was influenced by this when envisioning his own dynamic world and work.

Aside from his illustration work, he also conducted photoshoots - such as the one below with Grace Jones taken in Paris, 1975 - and notable cover work with Andy Warhol's Interview Magazine.

Antonio and his long-time business (and for a while, romantic )partner Juan Ramos worked together for almost the entirety of Antonio's career, and he was well-known as a queer man; they both stayed in each other's lives until Antonio's death in 1987.

Antonio Lopez's legacy lives on in the work of fashion designers and illustrators everywhere, even if his name isn't a household one. But next time you attempt a JJBA pose and stretch a few muscles a little too hard, remember Antonio Lopez and his love of moving fashion.

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