Celluloids by Osamu Tezuka, Jungle Taitei

OSAMU TEZUKA (Toyonaka, 1928-Tokyo, 1989).
Two celluloids of "Jungle Taitei".
Painting on acetate (celluloid).
Includes preparatory drawings made by hand.
Measurements: 23 x 36.5 cm (celluloids); 23.5 x 35 cm (drawings).

Before the digital era, traditional Japanese animation (also known as anime) used the "cell animation" technique, which consisted of painting the frames meticulously by hand on sheets of acetate or celluloid. This method, predominant in animation before the advent of digital techniques, turned each celluloid into an original work of art, capturing a unique moment in the production of the series. The elaboration process was as follows: first the sketch was created and then inked on the acetate and painted by hand on this surface. The colors were applied to the back of the cell with acrylic or gouache paint, ensuring that the lines inked on the front remained sharp.
Due to their rarity and artistic value, these celluloids are not only coveted by collectors and fans of the most iconic series, but also represent a tangible testimony of the creative process of one of the most emblematic fields of animation and pop culture.

Osamu Tezuka, considered "the god of Manga", was a Japanese mangaka (Japanese word for the creator of a comic book) and animator. Thanks to his work as an illustrator, Tezuka expanded and massively spread the reading and consumption of manga as a means of popular entertainment, achieving that mangas came to have a profound influence on post-war Japanese society. He influenced the way of making comics of the great majority of later authors and his works have been translated into many languages, including Spanish. His way of making comics was based on the cinematographic techniques of Walt Disney, introducing the story manga, or manga of long duration, with a much more elaborate and complex plot than the comics created so far by other artists. Among his most famous works are Jungle Taitei ("Kimba, the White Lion"), Tetsuwan Atom ("Astroboy") and Ribbon No Kishi ("The Knight Princess"), considered the first shojo manga in history. The success continued in the following decades, with series such as Hi no Tori ("Phoenix", 1954), Black Jack (1973-84), Buddha (1972-83) and Adolf (1983), taking a deep turn with the culmination of the MW series (1976-1978), in which he addressed very unusual themes in the manga of the time, such as homosexuality, political corruption or chemical weapons.