Science – Art – Imagination

By John Hertz: (reprinted from Vanamonde 1340)  Vincent Di Fate has been named to the Society of Illustrators Hall of Fame, recognized for “distinguished achievement in the art of illustration…. based on [his] body of work and the impact it has made on the field.” The induction ceremony will be on June 14, 2019.  The Society, founded in 1901, has been electing artists to its Hall of Fame since 1958.  It and its Museum of Illustration have quarters at 28 E. 63rd St., New York, NY 10065.

Di Fate has long been one of our very finest pro artists.  He won the Hugo Award for Best Pro Artist in 1979 (13-time finalist to date).  He was Artist Guest of Honor at Magicon, the 50th World Science Fiction Convention (1992).

In an extraordinary pair of abilities he is also one of our very finest writers about art.  His survey Infinite Worlds (1997) remains indispensable: a hundred-page historical perspective; a two-hundred-page examination of a hundred leading artists; seven hundred excellent images; acute, clear, distinct text.  It won Best Art Book in the 1998 Locus Poll; it may have inspired his 1998 Chesley Award for Artistic Achievement (7-time finalist to date).  For his own graphics see The Science Fiction Art of Vincent Di Fate (2002).

A note by me about Infinite Worlds is here. His covers, interiors, sketches, obituaries (not only for Chesley Bonestell and Ed Emshwiller, but also Orson Welles and Danny Kaye), letters, essays, are indexed here.

On a personal note, when Kelly Freas died I was writing for Science Fiction Chronicle and had the honor and pleasure of editing Di Fate’s appreciation (Mar 2005 issue).

Di Fate was commissioned by NASA in 1985 to create the official painting of the International Space Station, on display since its completion at the Kennedy Space Center (Florida).  He is a full professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (State Univ. N.Y.) in New York City; a Life Member and past president (1995-1997) of the Society of Illustrators; he is a founding member and was first president of the Association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Artists (ASFA).  His Website is headed Science – Art – Imagination.

With three 2018 Analog interior illustrations he is eligible for the Pro Artist Hugo this year: the Mar-Apr issue for “The Spires” (A. Nevala-Lee), Jul-Aug for “Potosi” (J. Pitkin), Nov-Dec for “Learning the Ropes” (T. Jolly).  Don’t neglect interiors.  Don’t neglect monochrome.  Am I suggesting that three drawings could outweigh so much else they’re worth your nomination and perhaps your vote?  Of course they could.  You decide.  

2 thoughts on “Science – Art – Imagination

  1. Mike, did you not receive the announcement of this action, which I forwarded to you from the Society of Illustrators in NYC?

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