Paul Rhoads is an American artist, painter, illustrator and musician living in France.
His father, Georges Rhoads, was also a painter and close friend of Jack Vance. Paul Rhoads was a great fan of Vance’s work, and it was his idea for a complete edition of his works that led to the creation of the V.I.E. (Vance Integral Edition) project in 1999. He has been appointed editor-in-chief of the publishing project, which was made possible by the work of hundreds of volunteers around the world and by the then burgeoning Internet.
In addition to his editorial role, he personally designed all the illustrations for the 44 volumes of the complete edition, as well as the decorations for the bindings and interiors. He also supervised the development of the typeface specific to the VIE project: « Amiante ».
The VIE project was documented and commented on via a dedicated website and an online magazine ‘Cosmopolis’, to which he actively contributed essays and articles (although his political and religious views were often controversial). Cosmopolis magazine is still available online and is a mine of information about the V.I.E. project and Jack Vance’s work in general.
Jack Vance & Paul Rhoads 1998 (France)
Paul Rhoads’ art is figurative and classical, very much inspired by eighteenth-century France. His illustrations for Vance’s work are all engravings or drawings and stand in stark contrast to the usual Science Fiction or Fantasy imagery.
GALLERIES
1- V.I.E. interior art (44 vol.)
2 Cover art
3 – V.I.E. interior or cover drawings
4 – Vignettes used in the VIE site
5 – Illustrations for the esperanto issue of The Dying Earth
6- Vance portrait (VIE)
More info:
Cosmopolis online (pdf download) : https://vanderveeke.net/foreverness/download.htm
Cosmopolis printed edition : lulu.com
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