Richard M. Powers (February 24, 1921 – March 9, 1996) was an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

and

fantasy fiction Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama. ...

illustrator. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2008 and the

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

Hall of Fame in 2016.

Life and work

Born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

into a Catholic family, Richard Michael Gorman Powers spent most of his early life supported by his mother and aunt. His father left the family when Powers was young. At eleven, Powers was introduced to art when his uncle gave him a sketch book, although in later life his uncle's wife would try to prevent him from making any art. He studied Greek at Loyola University before switching to art, taking classes at Mizen Academy,

Chicago Art Institute The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and list of largest art museums, largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visit ...

and the

University of Illinois at Chicago The University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) is a Public university, public research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its campus is in the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side community area, adjacent to the Chicago Loop. The second campus esta ...

. After enlisting to join World War II, he took more art classes at the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentu ...

during basic training, thereafter working in the Signal Corps in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He married and began a career in illustrations for magazines and publishing houses, continuing his art education at

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

in New York. Eventually, he became one of the most influential

and

artists of all time. He began by working in a conventional

pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit Engineering * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Molded pulp, a packaging material * ...

-derived style, but quickly evolved a personal Surrealist idiom influenced by the cubists and surrealists, especially

Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

and

Yves Tanguy Raymond Georges Yves Tanguy (January 5, 1900 – January 15, 1955), known as just Yves Tanguy (, ), was a French surrealist painter. Biography Tanguy, the son of a retired navy captain, was born January 5, 1900, at the Ministry of Naval Affa ...

. He also dabbled in abstract art and

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

at a later age before dying in 1996 at the age of 75. From the 1940s through the 1960s, he did many of covers for Doubleday. During the 1950s and 1960s, he served as an unofficial art director for

Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...

Cultural influence

In 2010,

Andy Partridge Andrew John Partridge (born 11 November 1953) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer who founded the rock music, rock band XTC. He and Colin Moulding each acted as a songwriter and frontman for XTC, with Partridge writi ...

, former frontman of the British New wave band

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

released a limited edition CD of music inspired by Powers' art titled ''POWERS''.

Selected works

Collections

*''Spacetimewarp: Paintings'' (1983) (Doubleday Science Fiction Book Club)

Illustrated books

Powers provided interior illustrations for a number of

Easton Press Easton Press, a division of MBI, Inc., based in Norwalk, Connecticut, is a publisher specializing in premium leather-bound books. In addition to canonical classics, religion, poetry and art books, they publish a selection of science fiction an ...

special editions of classic science fiction novels, including a 1986 editions of

The Gods Themselves ''The Gods Themselves'' is a 1972 science fiction novel written by Isaac Asimov, and his first original work in the science fiction genre in fifteen years (not counting his 1966 novelization of '' Fantastic Voyage''). It won the Nebula Award for ...

and ''To Your Scattered Bodies Go''. *''American Tall Tales'',

Adrien Stoutenburg Adrien Stoutenburg (December 1, 1916 – April 14, 1982) was an American poet and a prolific writer of juvenile literature. Her poetry collection ''Heroes, Advise Us'' was the 1964 Lamont Poetry Selection. Life Stoutenburg was born in Darfur, ...

, interior illustrations (Puffin, 1976) *'' The Number of the Beast'' (1980), interior artwork and cover illustrations, first edition

Album covers

*''

Symphonie Fantastique ' (''Fantastical Symphony: Episode in the Life of an Artist … in Five Sections'') Op. 14, is a program symphony written by the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. It is an important piece of the early Romantic period. The first performan ...

Hector Berlioz In Greek mythology, Hector (; grc, Ἕκτωρ, Hektōr, label=none, ) is a character in Homer's Iliad. He was a Trojan prince and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. Hector led the Trojans and their allies in the defense o ...

, Charles Munch, conductor,

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 1881, ...

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, 1955 *'' Is It...Man or Astroman?''

Man or Astro-Man Man or Astro-man? is an American surf rock group that formed in Auburn, Alabama in the early 1990s and came to prominence over the following decade. Primarily instrumental, Man or Astro-man? blended the surf rock style of the early 1960s like ...

Estrus Records Estrus Records is an independent record label from Bellingham, Washington that makes Surf music, surf, Garage rock, garage and trash rock music. They have released such bands as Mono Men, The Drags, The Mummies, Supercharger, Impala (band), Impa ...

, 1995

Book covers

The

Internet Speculative Fiction Database The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (ISFDB) is a database of bibliographic information on genres considered speculative fiction, including science fiction and related genres such as fantasy, alternate history, and horror fiction. The ISFDB ...

catalogs hundreds of book covers illustrated by Powers beginning 1950 (two known). These include: *''

Pebble in the Sky ''Pebble in the Sky'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1950. This work is his first novel — parts of the ''Foundation'' series had appeared from 1942 onwards in magazines, but ''Foundation'' was not pu ...

'' (Doubleday, 1950), by Isaac Asimov * ''

The Science Fiction Galaxy ''The Science Fiction Galaxy'' is an anthology of science fiction short stories edited by Groff Conklin. It was first published in hardcover by Permabooks in 1950. The book collects twelve novelettes and short stories by various authors, together ...

'' (Permabooks, 1950), ed.

Groff Conklin Edward Groff Conklin (September 6, 1904 – July 19, 1968) was an American science fiction anthologist. He edited 40 anthologies of science fiction, one of mystery stories (co-edited with physician Noah Fabricant), wrote books on home improvemen ...

– uncredited *''The Mountain and the Valley'' (Henry Holt and Company, 1952), by

Ernest Buckler Ernest Buckler (19 July 1908 – 4 March 1984) was a Canadian novelist and short story writer best known for his 1952 novel, ''The Mountain and the Valley'' and the short story ''The first born Son''. "Since its publication in 1954, Ernest Bu ...

*''

The Long Loud Silence ''The Long Loud Silence'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Wilson Tucker. It was first published in hardback edition by Rinehart & Co. in 1952, followed by Dell paperback editions in 1952 and 1954. At the Hugo Awards in 1953, ''Th ...

'' (1952) *''

Tomorrow, the Stars ''Tomorrow, the Stars'' is an anthology of speculative fiction short stories, presented as edited by American author Robert A. Heinlein and published in 1952. Heinlein wrote a six-page introduction in which he discussed the nature of science fictio ...

'' (1952) *'' Shadow of Tomorrow'', Anthology of 17 stories, edited by

Frederik Pohl Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satelli ...

Permabooks Permabooks was a paperback division of Doubleday, established by Doubleday in 1948. Although published by Doubleday's Garden City Publishing Company in Garden City, Long Island, the Permabooks editorial office was located at 14 West 49th Street i ...

, (1953) *''

Childhood's End ''Childhood's End'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by the British author Arthur C. Clarke. The story follows the peaceful alien invasionBooker & Thomas 2009, pp. 31–32. of Earth by the mysterious Overlords, whose arrival begins decade ...

'' (1953) *''

More Than Human ''More Than Human'' is a 1953 science fiction novel by American writer Theodore Sturgeon. It is a revision and expansion of his previously published novella ''Baby is Three'', which is bracketed by two additional parts written for the novel (" ...

'' (1953) *''

Expedition to Earth ''Expedition to Earth'' () is a collection of science fiction short stories by English writer Arthur C. Clarke. There are at least two variants of this book's table of contents, in different editions of the book. Both variants include the st ...

'' (1953) *'' Ahead of Time'' (1953) *'' Star Science Fiction Stories No.1'' (1953) *''

Earthlight ''Earthlight'' is a science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, published in 1955. It is an expansion to novel length of a novella of the same name that he had published four years earlier. Overview ''Earthlight'' is a scie ...

'' (1955) *''

Citizen in Space ''Citizen in Space'' is a collection of science fiction short stories by American writer Robert Sheckley. It was first published in 1955 by Ballantine Books (catalogue number 126). Contents The book includes the following stories (magazines in w ...

'' (1955) *''

Who Goes There? and Other Stories ''Who Goes There? and Other Stories'' is a 1955 collection of science fiction stories by John W. Campbell Jr., published by Dell Books in 1955. No other editions were issued. Contents *"About John Campbell" (original essay by Theodore Sturgeon) ...

'' (1955) *'' The Human Angle'' (1956) *''

Reach for Tomorrow ''Reach for Tomorrow'' is a 1956 collection of science fiction short stories by British writer Arthur C. Clarke. All the stories originally appeared in a number of different publications. Contents This collection includes: *"Preface" *"Rescue P ...

'' (1956) *'' Robots and Changelings'' (1957) *''

Starburst MicroPro International Corporation was an American software company founded in 1978 in San Rafael, California. They are best known as the publisher of WordStar, a popular early word processor for personal computers. History Founding and early su ...

'' (1958) *''

On an Odd Note ''On an Odd Note'' is a collection of short stories written by Gerald Kersh, published as a paperback original by Ballantine Books in 1958. No other editions were issued until 2015, when Valancourt Books brought out a new edition with an introducti ...

'' (1958) *''

Man of Earth ''Man of Earth'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Algis Budrys, first published in 1958 by Ballantine Books. "The Man from Earth", a "greatly different" earlier version of the story, was published in the debut issue of ''Satellite S ...

'' (1958) *'' Wolfbane'' (1959) *'' Nine Tomorrows (collection)'' (1959) *''

Far Rainbow ''Far Rainbow'' (russian: Далёкая Радуга, translit=Dalyokaya Raduga, ) is a 1963 science fiction novel by Soviet writers Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, set in the Noon Universe. Plot summary The novel tells the story of the Rainbow ...

'' (1963) *''

Greybeard ''Greybeard'' is a science fiction novel by British author Brian Aldiss, published in 1964. Plot summary Set decades after the Earth's population has been sterilised as a result of nuclear bomb tests conducted in Earth's orbit, the book shows ...

'' (1964) *''

The Invincible ''The Invincible'' ( pl, Niezwyciężony) is a hard science fiction novel by Polish writer Stanisław Lem, published in 1964. In 2019, Rafał Mikołajczyk published the comic book ''Niezwyciężony'' 'The Invincible'' . Reviewers note the f ...

'' (1964) (1973 translation) *''

The Second Invasion from Mars ''The Second Invasion from Mars'' (russian: Второе нашествие марсиан), subtitled ''Diary of a Sane erson' (Russian: Записки здравомыслящего), is a relatively short 1968 science fiction novel by Arkad ...

'' (1968) *'' The Daleth Effect'' (1970) *''

Vermilion Sands ''Vermilion Sands'' is a collection of science fiction short stories by British writer J. G. Ballard, first published in 1971. All the stories are set in an imaginary vacation resort called Vermilion Sands which suggests, among other places, Palm ...

'' (1971) *''

The Fabulous Riverboat ''The Fabulous Riverboat'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Philip José Farmer, the second book in the Riverworld series . A shorter version of the novel was serialized in '' If'' magazine as "The Felled Star" (July and August 1967) ...

'' (1971) *''

Roadside Picnic ''Roadside Picnic'' (Russian: , ''Piknik na obochine'', ) is a philosophical science fiction novel by Soviet-Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, written in 1971 and published in 1972. It is the brothers' most popular and most widely tran ...

'' (1977) *''

Firing the Cathedral ''Firing the Cathedral'' is a novella by British fantasy and science fiction writer Michael Moorcock. It is part of his long-running Jerry Cornelius Jerry Cornelius is a fictional character created by English author Michael Moorcock. The characte ...

'' (2002)

Short stories

*''Three Acts With Ballet'' (1947) January–February 1947 Story Magazine pages 85 to 92

References

;Citations ;Sources * Frank, Jane
"The Art of Richard Powers"

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

: Paper Tiger, 2001. *''The Frank Collection: A Showcase of the World's Finest Fantastic Art'', Jane and Howard Frank. Paper Tiger, 1999

External links

Richard M. Powers

* A collection of Richard M. Powers' published artwork
The Powers Compendium
* *
Cyber Art Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Richard M. 1921 births 1996 deaths American illustrators American speculative fiction artists Science fiction artists Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductees Place of death missing