𝓦𝐓
Virgil Warden Finlay (July 23, 1914 – January 18, 1971) was an American illustrator who specialized in fantasy, science fiction, and horror artwork. He began his career at the classic pulp magazine Weird Tales; H. P. Lovecraft called him "the best all-around artist Weird Tales has ever had."[1] Finlay illustrated several of Lovecraft's stories, and provided the cover art for Arkham House's first collection of Lovecraft's work, The Outsider and Others. Finlay's depiction of Lovecraft as an 18th century gentleman, "The Old Gentleman From Providence" (1937),[2] has become iconic.
Biography[]
Born in Rochester, New York, the son of woodworker Warden Finlay, who died in 1935 at the age of 40.[3] That same year, 21-year-old Virgil sent Weird Tales editor Farnsworth Wright six samples of his art. Wright was impressed with his talent, but only assigned him work after running tests to make sure Finlay's finely detailed style would translate to the pulp medium.[4] Finlay went on to contribute interior art to 62 issues of Weird Tales, while also painting 19 covers. Finlay's art would accompany stories by several writers in Lovecraft's circle, including Robert Bloch, Henry Kuttner, Frank Belknap Long, A. Merritt, C. L. Moore, and Clark Ashton Smith.[4]
When Merritt became editor of The American Weekly, a widely circulated Sunday newspaper supplement, he hired Finlay as a staff artist; starting in 1938, some 800 illustrations by Finlay would appear in the publication.[4] Finlay moved from Rochester to New York City, where the Weekly was based; on November 16, 1938, Finlay married Beverly Stiles, whom he had known since childhood.[5] He was a convert to Judaism.
Finlay's iconic image of Lovecraft
Finlay joined the US military during World War II, seeing combat on Okinawa and making poster and illustrations for the Morale Services.[5]
He was named best fantasy artist in the Beowulf Poll in 1941 and 1945, and best fantasy Illustrator by Fantasy Annual in 1948.[4] He won the first Hugo Award for interior illustration in 1953. He was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2012.[5]
Finlay died of cancer in 1971, at the age of 56. (He had received surgery for the disease as early as 1969.)[5] His daughter Lail Finlay described his final hours: "He came out of his coma. We left a sketch pad and pencils by the bed. He did a drawing, he went back into the coma, and died.”[6]
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ Letter to James F. Morton, March 1937; quoted in Feuilleton, "H. P. Lovecraft's Favourite Artists," by John Coulthart, January 30, 2007.
- ↑ Wikimedia, "File: H.P.L. as Eighteenth-Century Gentleman.png."
- ↑ Find a Grave, "Warden Hugh Finlay."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 These Fantastic Worlds, "Virgil Finlay: Master of Dark Fantasy Illustration," by Jake Jackson.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Wikipedia, "Virgil Finlay."
- ↑ The Humble Fabulist, "The Fantastic World of Virgil Finlay," January 3, 2019.