The Lavalite World, paperback cover 1977

Curator: Boris Vallejo painted this intriguing cover art, entitled "The Lavalite World," in 1977. Editor: What a dynamic composition. The figures, caught mid-action against that fiery orange backdrop, give off a real sense of primal struggle. It’s…intense. Curator: Indeed. The book cover depicts the traditional damsel in distress, or should I say "damsel almost undressed”, being assailed by an oversized bird. Meanwhile, the male hero intervenes in this eroticized fantasy tableau, brandishing his spear, defending his girl! It typifies the aesthetic sensibilities, not to mention the societal expectations around gender roles of the period in which it was made. Editor: Setting aside any of those connotations for a moment, observe the artist's play with light and shadow. The rendering of muscle and flesh has been captured beautifully with highlights adding depth to each sinew. You can really feel the tension. Curator: Oh, Vallejo certainly understood how to cater to his audience, which brings up an important point. Erotic fantasy art was quite profitable back then; what’s less obvious, however, are the values promoted through distribution channels such as fantasy novels—it normalizes, on a societal level, the very representation you admire on the canvas! Editor: Regardless of its initial venue, it stands apart, for me, due to its technical prowess. The stark lighting creates heightened contrast that highlights that dramatic moment where our hero appears to defend a terrified maiden! Curator: Perhaps it does; however, a society’s understanding, or misunderstanding, of gender, power, and the 'heroic' finds its validation exactly through these commercial narratives and painted images. Editor: I'll concede the underlying implications, but as a pure exercise in artistry and anatomy, its a striking visual narrative—albeit of it’s time. Curator: Yes, well I suppose considering the role of power, fantasy, and societal values does rather make you look at Vallejo’s aesthetic virtues in a very different light. Editor: I see what you did there!