This illustration was made for the cover of a book. The elongated figure is unusual, and provides a sense of extra height that ties in with the title “Giant Agony.” The bent and sorrowful man refers to Adam from Massacio’s Expulsion from Eden. This Biblical reference suggests the pain is not just physical, but may have a spiritual aspect as well. Robert explored the expulsion theme in earlier works, Escape and Woman with a Suitcase.

Robert’s experimental attitude toward commercial assignments influenced his more personal work, though this no doubt was a book and subject the artist could identity with, as it was created in the midst of his struggles with cancer. Robert later used elongated figures in his Fine Art work in the painting, New Steps.

The blue pencil lines indicate where Robert has drawn a grid. Usually, the artist uses a grid to enlarge a drawing with as much accuracy as possible. In this case, he uses a grid, in a stretched format, to create a distortion of his original sketch.