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Stanley Meltzoff oil painting for signet paperback cover of "The Delicate Prey and other stories" by Paul Bowles, 1952, revised 1956

Owner: artless artmore
Artist: Stanley Meltzoff (Painter)

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Additional Images:

1st Signet printing 1952

2nd Signet printing 1956

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Artwork Details

Title:	Stanley Meltzoff oil painting for signet paperback cover of "The Delicate Prey and other stories" by Paul Bowles, 1952, revised 1956
Artist:	Stanley Meltzoff (Painter)
Media Type:	Paint - Oil
Art Type:	Cover
Views:	1,420
Likes on CAF:	11 12
Added to Site:	2/20/2021

Description

I am delighted to have had the opportunity to acquire an original oil painting by one of my all-time favorite illustrators, Stanley Meltzoff, who set many of the standards and tropes for the more classical & realistic school of speculative fiction illustration back in the 1950s. This image falls more under the category of psychological horror than hard science fiction, but Meltzoff was a master of many genres.

As a bonus for me, this piece illustrated the 1st paperback publication of an outstanding short story collection by Paul Bowles, one of my favorite writers. This is a scene from the short story "Under the Sky", which, like the more famous story "The Delicate Prey" in the same collection, is a terrific, but harsh story about the human condition and the evil that lurks in the hearts of men (and women). These are not feel good stories...

Meltzoff originally painted in a male figure on the left, which is how it appeared in the first printing of the paperback in 1952 (see attached photo), but the artist painted him out and revealed a moonlit cemetery for the 2nd printing in 1956 (see attached). I'd love to know why he changed it. My guess is that Signet wanted to avoid the suggestion of bad intent from the looming male figure in the foreground. Frankly, I'm amazed that the stories in this volume were published uncensored when the hardcover came out in the late 40s --- a victory for free speech and the literary world!

Based on the strong resemblance, I'd wager that Meltzoff used his wife as the model for this painting. Before the publication of Mike Rivkin's magnificent retrospective "Stanley Meltzoff: Picture Maker" (which focuses on his game fish painting) and Dan Zimmer & Rivkin's more recent book of the same title, I had to scrounge around for old articles for info on this artist, but these books are treasure troves.

Oil on board
21 x 17 inches (53.3 x 43.2 cm)
Signed lower right

Blurb on Meltzoff from the 3rd Art blog:
Stanley Meltzoff (1917 - 2006)
Stanley Meltzoff was born in New York, United States, in 1917. He painted covers and interior spreads for the likes of Life, National Geographic, Saturday Evening Post, The Atlantic, and many others. His 65 covers for Scientific American was an indication of the good company that demanded his work. Today his art hangs in the National Gallery (Smithsonian), Getty Museum, and many other world-class institutions.
Bowing to the times, he switched gears and began painting saltwater game fish in their undersea environments.

Thanks for taking a look!

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	artless artmore ( 1 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	October 2013
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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