DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Fanews Weekly, whole no. 54, August 5, 1944

Transcribe
Translate

Fanews Weekly, whole no. 54, August 5, 1944

Page 2

In Julius Unger's FANTASY FICTION FIELD No. 190 a column by Mike Fern made it's first appearance. Contained in the column was a "crack" about E.T. Beaumont copying his work from already exsisting works. As most of us realize ALL artists copy something ( life - photos - or dreams ) in doing their work; I rushed a letter to McNutt (half of the team which colaborates under the Beaumont pseud.) asking for his explaination. The column by Mike Fern hadn't been written, but I had Mike's word that it was going to be. Charles takes over from here for himself and Wilma Bellingham.
   "Dunk tells me that Mike Fern has written some words (to appear in FFF) derogatorily dennouncing me for having copied INTOLLERANCE from something or other, but as I haven't as yet seen this article my reply won't be too coherent, I'm afraid. However, I will strive to straighten out a few loose ends that obviously exsist in Mike's mind as to the originality of Beaumont's pic.
   "First off I would like to flatly admit that INTOLLERANCE was taken from two distinct sources. In fact, copied is a word that doesn't stray very far from the truth! But, I answere SO WHAT?? Off hand I cannot name an amateur or professional artist that does not use, at one time or another, some foto, ilIustratin or carving as a basis for his or her own picture. Some may condemn me for taking pokes at other pro-artists for copying another picture. Let me explain: Most artists take their picture, or some figure in that picture, etc., from another piece of art-work by a different artist, but they do not copy exactly, and/or actually steal the work of another. They merely use this other artist's piece as a guide, or an example, which, Mike, is exactly what Beaumont did. These artists I dug all but traced, line for line, [some] illustration and had the gall to call the drawing their own! I could name special persons that do nothing but this and special magazines, but they would only be deleted by the editor. If you want proper-names, Beaumont took the face of the old lady from a Photographer's Annual, with many changes. The city was from a still of Cecil B. DeMille's picture "Intollerance", and, if technical details are requested, the style is obviously (and meant to be) that of Virgil Finlay, with the margin reminiscent of Lawrence's work. The  sky, I am proud to announce, is wholly and completely original!
   "Joking aside, I think an srtist is smart to copy somone's ( a better, of course) stuff and try to inject a bit of every faborite artist's work in his picture. That is precisely what Wilma and I intend to do, now and in the future.
   "Our own favorite artists are Hannes Bok, Norman Rockwell, Virgil Finlay, Dean Cornwell, Boris Dolgov, Edd Cartier, and J. Allen St. John. If you examin each succeeding illustration by Beaumont you can't miss seeing a trac of each artist mentioned. Of course, years from now when we are sufficiently improved, we hope to sever the ties of another contemporary (or otherwise), as did Virgil Finlay, and Bok, and the others. Finlay's idea was quite apparently Norman Lindsay, from whose work Virgil took nine [out] of ten of his drawings. Bok's was Maxfield Parrish, and even now you will find the same type of mountain, or bush, or figure in either artist's work. This is well [know] to be a very acceptable subterfuge of Hannes's.

"I could to on indefinitely, but, Mike, I think you get the idea, which, of course is simply: nine out of ten artists, at some time, use another artist's work ( or photos, et al) as a guide and example, but not as a stencil.
   "In reply to your accusations, I can only concede and say SO WHAT??
   P.S. This condition evidentally hasn't hindered Beaumont's progress as we have just sold two illustrations to WEIRD TALES."
      ..............Charles McNutt............

Saving...

In Julius Unger's FANTASY FICTION FIELD No. 190 a column by Mike Fern made it's first appearance. Contained in the column was a "crack" about E.T. Beaumont copying his work from already exsisting works. As most of us realize ALL artists copy something ( life - photos - or dreams ) in doing their work; I rushed a letter to McNutt (half of the team which colaborates under the Beaumont pseud.) asking for his explaination. The column by Mike Fern hadn't been written, but I had Mike's word that it was going to be. Charles takes over from here for himself and Wilma Bellingham. "Dunk tells me that Mike Fern has written some words (to appear in FFF) derogatorily dennouncing me for having copied INTOLLERANCE from something or other, but as I haven't as yet seen this article my reply won't be too coherent, I'm afraid. However, I will strive to straighten out a few loose ends that obviously exsist in Mike's mind as to the originality of Beaumont's pic. "First off I would like to flatly admit that INTOLLERANCE was taken from two distinct sources. In fact, copied is a word that doesn't stray very far from the truth! But, I answere SO WHAT?? Off hand I cannot name an amateur or professional artist that does not use, at one time or another, some foto, ilIustratin or carving as a basis for his or her own picture. Some may condemn me for taking pokes at other pro-artists for copying another picture. Let me explain: Most artists take their picture, or some figure in that picture, etc., from another piece of art-work by a different artist, but they do not copy exactly, and/or actually steal the work of another. They merely use this other artist's piece as a guide, or an example, which, Mike, is exactly what Beaumont did. These artists I dug all but traced, line for line, [some] illustration and had the gall to call the drawing their own! I could name special persons that do nothing but this and special magazines, but they would only be deleted by the editor. If you want proper-names, Beaumont took the face of the old lady from a Photographer's Annual, with many changes. The city was from a still of Cecil B. DeMille's picture "Intollerance", and, if technical details are requested, the style is obviously (and meant to be) that of Virgil Finlay, with the margin reminiscent of Lawrence's work. The sky, I am proud to announce, is wholly and completely original! "Joking aside, I think an srtist is smart to copy somone's ( a better, of course) stuff and try to inject a bit of every faborite artist's work in his picture. That is precisely what Wilma and I intend to do, now and in the future. "Our own favorite artists are Hannes Bok, Norman Rockwell, Virgil Finlay, Dean Cornwell, Boris Dolgov, Edd Cartier, and J. Allen St. John. If you examin each succeeding illustration by Beaumont you can't miss seeing a trac of each artist mentioned. Of course, years from now when we are sufficiently improved, we hope to sever the ties of another contemporary (or otherwise), as did Virgil Finlay, and Bok, and the others. Finlay's idea was quite apparently Norman Lindsay, from whose work Virgil took nine [out] of ten of his drawings. Bok's was Maxfield Parrish, and even now you will find the same type of mountain, or bush, or figure in either artist's work. This is well [know] to be a very acceptable subterfuge of Hannes's. "I could to on indefinitely, but, Mike, I think you get the idea, which, of course is simply: nine out of ten artists, at some time, use another artist's work ( or photos, et al) as a guide and example, but not as a stencil. "In reply to your accusations, I can only concede and say SO WHAT?? P.S. This condition evidentally hasn't hindered Beaumont's progress as we have just sold two illustrations to WEIRD TALES." ..............Charles McNutt............