Gateway paperback cover 1977

This paperback cover, Gateway, by Boris Vallejo, is likely airbrushed with acrylics and inks. Look at the way he graduates the background color into the blue sky: it’s super smooth, like cake frosting! This cover is like an invitation into the narrative, a promise of adventure. The physicality of this painting, its glossy surface, gives it the feel of looking at a car or a motorcycle. The ships glisten like they’ve just been waxed. It’s hyper-real. In the bottom left, notice the use of hard-edged shadows and highlights to emphasize the volume of the moon. Vallejo flattens the perspective while enhancing the illusion of three-dimensionality. His painting reminds me of the work of Frank Frazetta, who also painted paperback covers of muscular heroes and otherworldly villains. Both Frazetta and Vallejo embrace ambiguity, trading narrative complexity for instant visual gratification. These paintings are less about intellectual depth and more about pure escapism.