Ed Emshwiller began his career as an illustrator of science-fiction books and magazines. In this field his covers were distinct for their realist figuration and bright colours. Emshwiller had studied painting in France under the G.I. Bill, and on returning to America became involved in abstract expressionism. His work in commercial illustration maintained his training in conventional realism, placing vivid, photo-realistic figures into fantastical realms and situations, even as he was otherwise drawn to the possibilities for form to transcend subject.