Artist Rupert Conrad – Literary Art and Illustration

It was a nice idea, but it came to an end: The tenth and final issue of Galaxy Publishing Corporation’s Beyond Fantasy Fiction, edited by Horace L. Gold. The issue features cover art by Rupert Conrad, who also created the cover painting featured on the magazine’s second issue, that of January, 1954.

Paralleling other cover illustrations featured by the magazine, the art has no direct relationship to any of the stories within, and instead simply sets up a mood, theme, and atmosphere. In this case, a young woman – I’m certain she’s queen or princess rather than captive – rides atop a reptilian quadruped, surrounded by similarly mounted cavalry. They were doubly-plumed helmets fashioned into caricatures of the human face, as they are marching into battle – but a battle to us, unknown.

The ambiguity of the scene sets up an effect of an ancient, forgotten world, or a distant planet: A world similar to earth, yet a world where history took a path very different. And what of that world today?

But wait, there’s more!

Artist Rupert Conrad (1904-1979)…

…at Artland

…at FindAGrave

…at Internet Speculative Fiction Database

…at ICollector

…at AskArt

The January, 1954 issue of Beyond Fantasy Fiction features a cover art akin to that of the magazine’s prior (and subsequent!) issues: An illustration that sets a “mood”, but has no relation to the magazine’s actual content of a novella by Evelyn E. Smith, two novelets, and five short stories.

Set within the sea (a “sea”; a mythical “sea”; any old “sea” – see?!) a man and a woman, or more correctly, a scaled aquatic satyr with glowing red eyes, contemplatively pause amidst undersea greenery, while decoratively colored fish swim by, some of the fish – like the satyr – staring at the viewer. The scene, painted by Rupert Conrad, creates moods of familiarity, and strangeness; clarity, and puzzlement; comfort, and a hint of menace.

It’s a fantasy without a name.