1956: Boris Artzybasheff Also Went to Mars

[beamjockey]

I am fascinated by the works of Boris Artzybasheff, despite his penchant for creepiness.

I've previously written about his illustrations of inhabitants of the Moon in 1958 and Buckminster Fuller's head in 1964.

For a Life spread about Mars in the September 24, 1956 issue, Artzybasheff showed us Martians portrayed in literature through the

Comments

[tigertoy]

What happened in 1956 that was supposed to completely revolutionize our understanding of Mars? "100,000 pictures of Mars taken this year"? Was a major new telescope inaugurated?

[beamjockey]

Mars was closer to Earth at opposition than it had been for several decades, a dandy chance to study it with telescopes and fancy high-tech instruments.

[richardthe23rd]

If they know Weinbaum, then they're okay with me.

[eub]

Ooh, prettiness.

[tb_doc_smith]

IIRC, both Tweel (the "long-nosed ostrich people who leap 75 feet, land on their beaks") and the "barrel-shaped monster... a food-pill-maker which spends its time gathering trash and converting it to food" are from "A Martian Odyssey."

However, I've maintained for some time that Tweel is not from Mars. He even says so, though the narrator never figures it out. The narrator diagrams the solar system, showing his route from Earth to Mars. Tweel responds by backing up a tremendous distance, leaping into the air, and landing on his nose right in the diagram.

Conclusion: he's an interstellar traveler, possibly a castaway. Unfortunately, his human Man Friday gets rescued, so he's still out there on Mars, waiting for his ride home.

[beamjockey]

Interesting!