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Fan, whole no. 4, September 1945

Page 13

SCIENCE FICTION ART
BY ALVA ROGERS

Since the advent of magazines devoted solely to the publication of fantasy, weird and science-fiction some twenty years ago, the artwork to be found therein has grown from crud and illegible illustrations to some of the finest pieces of pen and ink drawings to be found anywhere in contemporary art. I ran across an item some time ago in one of the art trade journals where it was stated that, outside of the so-called fantasy pulp magazines, the technique of fine line work with pen and ink had almost dropped into complete disuse by commercial artists for the "slick" type of illustration, wash, watercolor, tempera, etc.

The artists who have been most outstanding in general are few, but the brilliance of their work stands out above all the other hack artists who at one time or the other have crowded the field. The illustrators I consider to be the best ARTISTS of all time in fantasy since the inception of WEIRD TALES in 1923, are: Charles Schneeman, whose masterful handling of pen and pencil has assured him his place at the head of the long list of science-fiction artists. His refusal to rely on "tricks" to get his quiet, but powerful, drawings over to his audience, and his ability to instil life into all his drawings make him second to none. His best work is with black and white, although he had done some very competent color work.

Virgil Finlay, while he resorts to certain tricks, is probably the most popular weird and fantasy artist of all time. His work has been compared to that of Sime and Dore. His best work has been in pen and ink but he is one of the few who is equally good in color. One of his covers is here on display through the courtesy of its present owner, Laura Crozzetti.

Hannes Bok is one of the new artists who was fast becoming one of the top fantasy pulp artists of the present day. His drawings and paintings possesses a bizarre and otherworldiness seldom achieved by others, with the added advantage of being almost completely original in technique and workmanship. Bok is launching into a career of serious art and as a consequence hasn't the time to put into illustrating anymore. As a result of this, we have lost one of the brightest artists we've ever had. 

Edd Cartier, in my opinion, does the most knocked out art work of any of the contemporary illustrators. He is my own personal favorite, and one of my most prized possessions is the original which is on display here tonight. He has the ability to capture not only the eerie and horrible with his brush and pencil, but also to interpret the amusing and whimsical in such as way as to make them almost breathe. His work has appeared almost exclusively in UNKNOWN and his color work is as good, ifnot better, than his black and white.

Hubert Rogers is noted chiefly for his magnificent covers, most of which have appeared in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION. In the few short years he has painted science-fiction covers, he has become the leader in the field.

Laurence, although new in the field, is fast competing with Finlay in popularity with the fans. His drawings lack the flashy outreness of Finlay, but he is the master of Finlay in pen and ink technique. his bordered drawings are masterpieces of fine, detailed pen work, and are truly masterfully executed pen and ink paintings.

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SCIENCE FICTION ART BY ALVA ROGERS Since the advent of magazines devoted solely to the publication of fantasy, weird and science-fiction some twenty years ago, the artwork to be found therein has grown from crud and illegible illustrations to some of the finest pieces of pen and ink drawings to be found anywhere in contemporary art. I ran across an item some time ago in one of the art trade journals where it was stated that, outside of the so-called fantasy pulp magazines, the technique of fine line work with pen and ink had almost dropped into complete disuse by commercial artists for the "slick" type of illustration, wash, watercolor, tempera, etc. The artists who have been most outstanding in general are few, but the brilliance of their work stands out above all the other hack artists who at one time or the other have crowded the field. The illustrators I consider to be the best ARTISTS of all time in fantasy since the inception of WEIRD TALES in 1923, are: Charles Schneeman, whose masterful handling of pen and pencil has assured him his place at the head of the long list of science-fiction artists. His refusal to rely on "tricks" to get his quiet, but powerful, drawings over to his audience, and his ability to instil life into all his drawings make him second to none. His best work is with black and white, although he had done some very competent color work. Virgil Finlay, while he resorts to certain tricks, is probably the most popular weird and fantasy artist of all time. His work has been compared to that of Sime and Dore. His best work has been in pen and ink but he is one of the few who is equally good in color. One of his covers is here on display through the courtesy of its present owner, Laura Crozzetti. Hannes Bok is one of the new artists who was fast becoming one of the top fantasy pulp artists of the present day. His drawings and paintings possesses a bizarre and otherworldiness seldom achieved by others, with the added advantage of being almost completely original in technique and workmanship. Bok is launching into a career of serious art and as a consequence hasn't the time to put into illustrating anymore. As a result of this, we have lost one of the brightest artists we've ever had. Edd Cartier, in my opinion, does the most knocked out art work of any of the contemporary illustrators. He is my own personal favorite, and one of my most prized possessions is the original which is on display here tonight. He has the ability to capture not only the eerie and horrible with his brush and pencil, but also to interpret the amusing and whimsical in such as way as to make them almost breathe. His work has appeared almost exclusively in UNKNOWN and his color work is as good, ifnot better, than his black and white. Hubert Rogers is noted chiefly for his magnificent covers, most of which have appeared in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE-FICTION. In the few short years he has painted science-fiction covers, he has become the leader in the field. Laurence, although new in the field, is fast competing with Finlay in popularity with the fans. His drawings lack the flashy outreness of Finlay, but he is the master of Finlay in pen and ink technique. his bordered drawings are masterpieces of fine, detailed pen work, and are truly masterfully executed pen and ink paintings.