The Underrated Genius of Paul Lehr

[00:00:02]Atmospheric, other-worldly, evocative, unforgettable.

[00:00:09]These words and many more have been used to describe the art of Paul Lehr.

[00:00:13]If Richard Powers introduced abstract surrealism to the world of science fiction cover art in the '50s and '60s, then Lehr took the mantle and dominated the '70s. Rarely would his covers match the events of the story, but the tone conveyed was spot-on. Paul paints elaborately detailed images of events, and they could be graphical. They could be three-dimensional. They can be suggestions of a strange kind of dismembered reality, but they're startling for all of those reasons. Lehr was born in White Plains, New York, August 16th, 1930, and he trained at the Pratt Institute in New York. His first science fiction cover was for Jeffrey Lloyd Castle's Satellite E-1 in 1954, while he was still studying at Pratt. It was fine, if not unremarkable. Maybe stiff, maybe a bit messy, but definitely forgettable.

[00:01:00]However, Lehr continued to grow as an artist, to break free from early comparisons to his mentor, Stanley Meltzoff, and soon found his unique style and voice. During the back half of the '60s, Lehr shifted science fiction art from depictions of pulpy [music] swashbucklers to weird imagery that strains description. From fishbowl helmets and ray guns to nightmarish monoliths. Humanity was no longer front and center, but diminutive, an afterthought in the shadow of something truly alien. Sleek, hard-line spaceships have been replaced with butter-soft shading, and Lehr's ability to present art that appears highly detailed without precise detailing. Space was no longer black and cold, but explosive with colors that both complement and contrast. It's uncanny that something can be so muted and yet so vibrant at the same time. But most striking to me is how his art has the ability to evoke emotion. I don't really care about the structured intellectual approach to a thing. I'm an emotional person, and I just do it as it moves me. Then perhaps that comes through. I don't know. I hope so because if it does, I'd be really happy. To call his cover painting prolific would be an understatement. It seems like every author has a book featuring Lehr and there are hundreds of novels bearing his mark. In fact, it seems like there is a several year span where Berkeley, Medallion and Ballantine only featured Lehr covers, although that isn't true. [music] Perhaps more prolific is his work with magazines such as Analog, Omni, Tomorrow and Weird Tales. This man's art graced the covers of thousands of books and magazines and all the while doing his own thing, his own style, talented yet unconventional. In fact, Lehr was very open about making mistakes and then incorporating those mistakes into the design. Like Japanese Kintsugi, mistakes can inform the canvas and result in something even more beautiful. Lehr may have dominated science fiction covers in the mid-60s and into the 70s, but in his artistry, he was more like a jazz musician.

[00:02:56]Then, halfway through the 80s, the sci-fi market began to see a shift away from Lehr's surrealism and his style faded away. But never one to stop growing, Lehr turned his creative attention to sculptures. The backyard barn in rural Pennsylvania where these paintings were born now had to share the space with hundreds of sculptures and these were completely unknown and hidden away for decades.

[00:03:19]Paul Lehr passed away in 1998.

[00:03:23]So you may ask, if this artist was so prolific and influential, then why did I use the word underrated in the title of this video? Because, despite the recognizability and success of his work, Paul Lehr is undeniably undervalued and under-recognized. He was nominated for the Hugo several times, but never won.

[00:03:41]In fact, the only award that I've been able to confirm that he won was the Frank R. Paul Award from the Nashville Science Fiction Association.

[00:03:48]Wikipedia says he won the Analog twice, but there was no source cited and I couldn't confirm it. So, maybe that's the case or it could just be Wikipedia being Wikipedia.

[00:03:58]>> [music] >> What's more, unlike his contemporaries, there's never been an art book showcasing his work, which is something I would buy immediately. There's only a couple videos talking about him online.

[00:04:08]One is just someone reading his Encyclopedia of Science Fiction page >> [music] >> and the other is AI and it really, really sucks.

[00:04:15]People in the space talk about Frank Frazetta, Richard Powers, Kelly Freese, Michael Whelan, Ed Emshwiller, Boris Vallejo, Jack Gaughan, and John Schoenherr, but I've never heard anyone even mention Paul Lehr and I think that's a shame because not only is he one of my favorite science fiction artists, he's one of my favorite artists, period. So, I think that if you have a unique and memorable style that can be easily recognized on a mass-market paperback from 20 ft away, then I think you deserve at least a little praise. Lehr didn't play by the rules. In fact, he seemed to only concern himself with one thing aside from his family, and that was art.

[00:04:54]Despite the lack of praise or official recognition, Paul Lehr's impact on science fiction as a whole cannot be denied and his artistic career of over 50 years should not only be celebrated, but should be recognized as something truly special.

[00:05:08]So, please kick back and enjoy this gallery of his art as I leave you with these parting words from the man himself.

[00:05:15]Every artist should follow their own star.

[00:06:58]>> [music] >> Mhm.

[00:08:40]>> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Mhm.