About this Item
Original illustration, ink on stiff board, by Jay Landau (later, famed painter Jacob Landau) for the sci-fi pulp story "Death of A Sensitive" from the May, 1953 issue of Science Fiction Plus. 9 7/8" x 9" overall size, image size is most of that (scan). Note:layout editor's note at the bottom of the image in scan, which says 7 3/8", refers to the size the image is to be in the printed issue, not the 9" width of this original. This was executed as line art on copper, as were most of Landau's pulp illustrations; this is this black and white for reproduction in that May issue. Annotation on front (see scan), also annotations on reverse. Former paste foxing from layout process one the reverse;none on front. Image itself is fine, as used by the publisher. Used to illustrate the Harry Bates story, "Death of a Sensitive" -a story deemed by Hugo Gernsback's editor, Sam Moskowitz, to be the best he ever published in the magazine (Bates was the author of, in Astounding Science Fiction in 1940, "Farewell to the Master", which later became the basis for the classic sci-fi film, "The Day the Earth Stood Still"). A moody illustration by Landau, who, as the pulp illustrator he was at that time, is hard to find on the original sci-fi art market. Though he loved science fiction and did a fair amount of early magazine illustration, he later was able to concentrate solely on the stylish, impactful, often socially conscious and always psychologically disturbing mainstream painting which was his first love and for which he later gained famed. His early professional work for publications was done as Jay Landau or J. Landau (often signed only "Landau"), but the later work was, of course, by "Jacob Landau". Landau died in November, 2001, at age of 85. The intimidating, moody nature of this illustration is, to a degree, in keeping with that later painting style. The May issue of Science Fiction Plus is not itself included here; scan shown with this listing for reference. Llng1. Seller Inventory # 001298
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