Annamanthadoo, Miki :: Illustration Art

Emphyrio by Karel Thole

Artist: Karel Thole (All)

6 Comments - 864 Views - 7 Likes

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Published book

Fantastic June 1969

First Book publication.

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Artwork Details

Title:	Emphyrio by Karel Thole
Artist:	Karel Thole (All)
Media Type:	Mixed Media
Art Type:	Cover
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	864
Likes on CAF:	7 8
Comments:	6
Added to Site:	9/17/2022
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Published 1982 by Heyne.
Cover to the German Edition of the novel Emphyrio by Jack Vance.
The Novel was first serialized in Fantastic magazine, staring with the edition cover dated June 1969 with the blurb 'First Publication Anywhere'.
The hardcover was published the same year by Doubleday.

Story summary:
Far in the future, the craftsmen of the distant planet Halma create goods which are the wonder of the galaxy. But they know little of this. Their society is harshly regimented, its religion austere and unforgiving, and primitive -- to maintain standards, even the most basic use of automation is punishable by death.
When Amiante, a wood-carver, is executed for processing old documents with a camera, his son Ghyl rebels, and decides to bring down the system. To do so, he must first interpret the story of Emphyrio, an ancient hero of Halman legend.

Jack Vance (John Holbrook Vance) (August 28, 1916 � May 26, 2013) was an American mystery, fantasy, and science fiction writer. He won numerous awards including the Hugo award in 1963, 1967 and 2010.
He is one of my favorite authors. His writing style has been described as follows by Bill Ward (Where to Start With Jack Vance )
"Vance has a distinctive, near-inimitable, authorial voice; joining the list of other true originals in seeing his surname rendered into an adjective�Vancian. A Vancian story might be said to be a picaresque tale following a strongly motivated and highly-capable protagonist through a series of colorful, imaginative, and occasionally farcical adventures against a kaleidoscopic backdrop of endlessly inventive human cultures. But is in the nature of Vance�s prose, a lyrically spare semi-formal style peppered with odd conjugations and amusingly stilted dialog, that the real �Vancian� tone emerges."

Karel Thole (Carolus Adrianus Maria Thole) is renowned for his long work for the science fiction magazine Urania. He also did covers for other publishers such as Mondadori where he painted covers for Mystery and Romance books.
Some of his Science Fiction covers were also published by Four Square Books (England) and DAW books (US).
I first saw Thole's art on the DAW SF paperbacks and his art was always distinctive and stood out to me.
He is known for combining surreal sci-fi themes with horror. His work has drawn comparisons to other artists such as Salvador Dali, Hieronymus Bosch and Max Ernest.

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About the Owner

	Miki Annamanthadoo ( 18 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	May 2003
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Miki's Classifieds Miki's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About MikiAnnamanthadoo

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Comments on this Artwork

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Davide G.
Member Since 2009

Posted on 9/17/2022

Another great piece by the Dutch master in your Gallery, congrats!

Marcus Wai
Member Since 2005

1 - Posted on 9/17/2022

Hey Karel Thole you take a chance?
Say that you'll let me read Jack Vance

Well let's Vance, well Jack Vance
We'll plot the twist, then stomp, then smash tomorrow too
Any old Vance that you Halma do
But let's Vance, well Jack Vance

Hey rebel, yeah, you Ghyl me Thole
Hold me tight, paint Emphyrio

But Jack Vance, well let's Vance
They'll plot the twist, the stomp, then smash wood carvers too
Any old chance that camera used
But let's dance, well let's dance

Ryan M
Member Since 2015

1 - Posted on 9/17/2022

Glad this found a good home!

Alex Johnson
Member Since 2006
Forum Moderator

Posted on 9/18/2022

A fascinating image and a great description! Thanks for sharing.

Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008

Posted on 9/19/2022

I love surrealism in Science Fiction cover art and this is is a great example of that. The tasteful nudity doesn't hurt!

Arrick Un Rama
Member Since 2020

Posted on 9/27/2022

Nice addition to your collection

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