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French artist predictor Albert Robida

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Telephonoscope in 2000. 1883 illustration by French artist predictor Albert Robida

Telephonoscope in 2000. 1883 illustration by French artist predictor Albert Robida

French artist predictor Albert Robida

According to writer Solzhenitsyn, through art we sometimes briefly receive such revelations, which rational thinking can’t develop”. And Albert Robida, Frenchman, a science fiction writer and a brilliant artist proved this. His creative insights strike today.
Born in southern France 14 May 1848, he began drawing at a young age. Later, he drew cartoons and illustrations for various journals. Besides, Robida was a great traveler, who visited all parts of the country and went abroad. In 1883 in Paris, was published his book “The Twentieth Century”, and a few years later appeared “Electrical life.” In these books, he looked into the future and made startling predictions, describing “technical wonders” of the coming century.

A futuristic view of air traffic in Paris in 2000. Hand colored lithograph. 1882, Washington, Library of Congress. Artist predictor Albert Robida

A futuristic view of air traffic in Paris in 2000. Hand colored lithograph. 1882, Washington, Library of Congress. French artist predictor Albert Robida

In fact, French artist predictor Albert Robida prophesied plague of our century – AIDS, and the Chernobyl disaster. Its prototype, a terrible accident that took place on the power station due to the breakdowns in a large tank. “In the afternoon, December 12, 1995 due to some stupidity, the cause of which remained unclear, broke out all over Europe a terrible electrical storm, so-called tornado. Accident, that brought a lot of surprises, “- we read on the pages of his novel.

In addition, here you can find and anticipation of building nuclear weapons. “… Not content with the fact that the electrical energy is a powerful instrument of production, a bright beacon, horn transmitting voice at any distance on land, at sea and in the interplanetary space, electricity performs, in addition, thousands of other various duties. Among other things, it serves in human hands as arms – a deadly and dangerous weapon on the battlefield … ”

Everyone in the world knows that this “deadly and dangerous weapon”, first invented in Russia, and its creator was Andrei Sakharov. He, also was among the prophets of the XX century, who warned of the dire consequences of its use for evil.

Noteworthy, French artist predictor Albert Robida anticipated explosions of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Thus, in his work “The Hours of the past centuries,” published in 1898, he tells of the creation of “pea-sized bombs capable of destroying an entire city. This invention will make some politicians violent, leading inevitably to the “great tribulation” and “great horror”.

Fortunately, there are pages of his prophetic works with optimistic predictions. In particular, Albert Robida predicts, people will create a “Grand Council of protection from mistakes of the past without the politicians.” The survived portion of mankind will take lessons from the tragic past”.

According to French artist predictor Albert Robida, “… The human race survived, not killed, at least fully, finally wised up. A man came out of great tribulation, and began to march to values left by his ancestors”.

Also, in the same sci-fi novel “Electric Life” he says about the consequences of the monstrous exploitation of nature, and pollution due to industrial development. “… Our heroes finally managed to breathe a clean air, not polluted by smoke of monstrous factories. Here it was possible to give complete rest to the brain and nerves, feel the happiness and joy of life!”

And he was right, predicting people of the XX century quickly wear out the nervous system. The cause of aging, according to Robida, would serve both a super-fast pace of life and the environment. “Because of the feverish haste of life of the XX century people will quickly grow old. Thus, a 45 year-old will look like a 70-year-old. And the rejuvenation will occur under special caps …”

In fact, Robida predicted the great possibilities of chemical science, with which people would restore the fertility of the soil. For instance, to stimulate germination and growth, people will use electro-processing of the seeds.

Also, he predicted the possibility of creating an artificial food, and not only that. Besides, he “saw” a man endowed with the gift of insight, and the ability to create artificial human! The hero of his book “The Engineer Medic Syufaten, nice fellow, grown artificially – in a retort.”

His drawings, in other words, his visionary imagination also demonstrated technological advances of coming century. For example, enormous airships, subway, telephonoscope, phonograph, chemical artillery shells, underwater battleships and torpedoes.

With his brilliant mind of a writer and an artist-seer, given to him by God, he predicted people to use various materials. In particular, building materials from which they will construct houses for the dwelling citizens of the future. For example, the house built from artificial granite and glass with “refractory plastics and tubular aluminum.”

According to his predictions, an indispensable attribute of every home, will be a telephonoscope (television and telephone) used by pressing buttons with which you can listen to “Teletext” with the news. Telephonoscope would allow, he foresaw, “to visit relatives and to be away, without leaving home”. And where would not be such premises as the kitchen, as you can order ready-made meals using telephonoscope or feed yourself with concentrates in the form of pills. Apparently, like tubes with artificial food, which our astronauts first began to use on board of the spacecraft.

“Behind every new epoch is visible new generation. And behind this generation – heard the following steps, which will perform on stage, when their time will come in the eyes of eternity.” Past flows into the present and the future, and the future becomes the past. Thus is the circle of eternity of life on Earth, segments of which given to see clearly by elected – the prophets.

French artist predictor Albert Robida

French artist predictor Albert Robida

Robida telephonoscope

French artist predictor Albert Robida

A futuristic view of air traffic in Paris in 2000. Hand colored lithograph. 1882, Washington, Library of Congress

French artist predictor Albert Robida

A futuristic view of air traffic in Paris in 2000. Hand colored lithograph. 1882, Washington, Library of Congress

French artist predictor Albert Robida

A futuristic view of air traffic in Paris in 2000. Hand colored lithograph. 1882, Washington, Library of Congress

French artist predictor Albert Robida

A futuristic view of air traffic in Paris in 2000. Hand colored lithograph. 1882, Washington, Library of Congress

French artist predictor Albert Robida

Air rotary home. (1883)

French artist predictor Albert Robida

Albert Robida Cures d’air dans la montagne

French artist predictor Albert Robida

Coverage of the Twentieth Century or Electrical life cover illustration (1890). The End of Books_- page 230a

French artist predictor Albert Robida

Coverage of the Twentieth Century or Electrical life cover illustration (1890)

French artist predictor Albert Robida

The Improvement to Paris by the Metropolitan, La Caricature of June 19, 1886

French artist predictor Albert Robida

The Infernal War, Episode 2, January 1908

French artist predictor Albert Robida

Drawing by Albert Robida