Alien : Grotesque rock formations in Alien

leading from

Alien: The Planetoid

Grotesque Rock Formations with background based on
 Work 385: Landscape, On the pipe at the bottom 
are shreds of material hanging off.

a) Curiosities in rock formations
Grotesque rock formations were first observed in the form of the Topps card. I soon realised that this backdrop was based on a section of the Giger's painting for the bone landscape work 385 as seen in the Giger's Alien book.

However in the scenery, the painter has added certain things such as a skeletal crouching form at the top on the right and some strange unearthly shape below that which looks like a head with fan like ears staring up.

Many different ideas have been talked about in terms of what this image could be by people who had seen the image, but of course whatever it was about, it had nothing to do with the Alien film's scenario, it was also unlikely to be seen in the final film anyway.

curious crouching skeletal form and
curious shape with  uncertain features

Bob Penn © 1979 20th Century Fox (source of photo: Charlie Lippincott)

b) Some evidence
A photo backing this likelihood that it was based on a section of Giger's Work 385, appeared in Giger's Diaries showing that very part of the painting sectioned off.

H R Giger posing with the Landscape painting (from Giger's Alien Diaries)

The painting with the area sectioned off with tape

area of painting as scene in part of painting sectioned off by tape

Work 385: Landscape (source: Giger's Alien)

I have reversed the left form horizontally taken from  
Work 385: Landscape and make the assumption 
that this inspired the rock formation on the right

I believe that the shapes on the left 
Work 385: Landscape inspired 
this skeletal thing on the right taken 
from Grotesque Rock Formations

Elongated vertical landscape feature streaming
down in both Giger's painting on the left and 
the background painting on the right

The rock formation as seen from an angle in the distance on 
the Alien film set  (Source: photograph just below from Giger's Alien)

The film set showing the planetoid landscape with rock formation to the left
(Source: Giger's Alien)

The planetoid set with mat paint as to be seen in the film (Source: Giger's Alien)