Virgil Finlay facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Virgil Finlay
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Finlay in December 1952
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| Born | July 23, 1914 Rochester, New York, United States
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| Died | January 18, 1971 (aged 56) Westbury, New York, United States
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| Known for | Illustration |
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Virgil Finlay (born July 23, 1914 – died January 18, 1971) was an American artist. He drew amazing pictures for pulp magazines that featured fantasy, science fiction, and horror stories. People called him "one of the best artists" for these kinds of stories.
Finlay used many art tools, like paint and oils. But he was most famous for his very detailed drawings made with pen and ink. He used special techniques like stippling (making pictures with tiny dots) and cross-hatching (using crisscross lines). Even though these drawings took a lot of time, Finlay created more than 2,600 pieces of art in his 35-year career.
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame added Finlay to its list of important people in 2012.
Contents
About Virgil Finlay
Virgil Warden Finlay was born on July 23, 1914, in Rochester, New York. His father, Warden Hugh Finlay, died when Virgil was young. This made things tough for his family during the Great Depression.
Early Life and Art
When Virgil was in high school, he loved art and writing poetry. He found his favorite subjects in the popular magazines of that time, called pulp magazines. He saw science fiction in Amazing Stories (starting in 1927) and fantasy and horror in Weird Tales (starting in 1928). He began showing his art when he was just 16 years old.
By age 21, Finlay was confident in his art. He sent six of his drawings to the editor of Weird Tales, Farnsworth Wright. Wright was amazed by the detailed work. He decided that Finlay's art would look great even on the rough paper the magazine used.
Working for Weird Tales
Finlay's art first appeared in Weird Tales in December 1935. He drew pictures for three different stories in that issue. His art was featured in 62 issues of the magazine, all the way until September 1954. He also created 19 colorful covers for Weird Tales from 1937 to 1953.
Finlay quickly became very popular after his first drawings in 1935. He started working for other magazines too. In 1938, he moved from Rochester to New York City to work for The American Weekly. Later that year, he married Beverly Stiles, who he had known since childhood.
Military Service and Awards
Finlay served in the US Army during World War II. He fought in many battles, especially in the South West Pacific theater, like on Okinawa. He also drew posters and illustrations for the army during his three years of service.
After the war, he went back to being an artist. He drew many pictures for science fiction magazines and books. As pulp magazines became less popular in the 1950s, Finlay started drawing for astrology magazines.
In 1953, he won one of the very first Hugo Awards for being the best "Interior Illustrator" (meaning he drew pictures inside books and magazines). He was also named the best artist of 1945 in a special "Retro Hugo" award given in 1996.
Later Life and Legacy
Virgil Finlay also wrote poetry throughout his life. Most of his poems were not published while he was alive, but some have been printed since then.
Finlay had a serious health issue in early 1969. He got better for a while and went back to work. But his health problems returned, and he passed away on January 18, 1971, at age 56.
Right after he died, people became even more interested in his artwork. Many collections of his work have been published, making sure his amazing art continues to be seen and enjoyed by new generations.
Collections of Finlay's Art
After Virgil Finlay passed away, many books were made to collect his beautiful artwork. Here are some of them:
- Virgil Finlay (1971)
- An Astrology Sketch Book (1975)
- Finlay's Femmes (1976)
- Finlay's Illustrations for Weird Tales (1976)
- Women of the Ages (1992)
- Strange Science (1993)
- Phantasms (1993)
- Virgil Finlay's Far Beyond (1994)
Books by Gerry de la Ree
Gerry de la Ree also published several books featuring Finlay's art:
- Finlay's Lost Drawings: For Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream (1975)
- The Book of Virgil Finlay (1976)
- Second Book of Virgil Finlay (1978)
- The Third Book of Virgil Finlay (1979)
- The Fourth Book of Virgil Finlay (1979)
- The Fifth Book of Virgil Finlay (1979)
- The Sixth Book of Virgil Finlay: The Astrology Years (1980)
- The Seventh Book of Virgil Finlay – Virgil Finlay Remembered (1981)
