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Balet, Jan B : Typed Letter Signed - Jan B. Balet. One Page with an Accompanying Two-page Typed Manuscript

Original letter and manuscript typed on gray stationery of Mademoiselle Magazine and signed in black ink by Jan B. Balet. Datelined March 4, 1943 in New York. 7 1/4" x 10 1/2." Three pages, complete. Letter and manuscript are very clean and intact. Possibly original paper clip is in the upper-left corner and has rusted slightly. A Fine copy. Jan B. Balet (1913-2009) was a painter, graphic artist, illustrator, and "Primitivist" art movement. Balet was born in Germany and lived much of his life there but came to the United States in 1938 in protest of Adolf Hitler's takeover of Germany. In 1965, he returned to Europe to live and work. Early in his career in the United States, Balet became art director of Mademoiselle Magazine. In this letter, Balet writes to Marjorie Whitney of the School of Design at the University of Kansas. In the letter and accompanying manuscript, he writes about the place of the artist in wartime. The following is an excerpt from the manuscript: "Since art by its very essence is a labor of love, and war by its very essence must be a labor of hate, the artist feels tragically ill-equipped to make the sudden change. Because he is sensitive (in the finest meaning of the word) he sees more clearly than do other men why the terrible job must be done; yet he rages against that sensitivity because he fears that other men will call it a weakness. ... As a matter of fact, the artist is a tougher fellow than he himself knows. One has only to reflect on the number of recent shows by men in the armed forces to realize that. Many who swore that they would never look at a brush or drawing pencil until after Hitler's defeat, found themselves sketching and painting in their free hours--what's more, teaching other service men who suddenly, for the first time, felt the urge to do likewise. ... The function of the artist in wartime is to inform, and through informing, inspire. Our American artists are doing a magnificent job. Look at the posters--so powerfully dramatic that their messages burn deep into our minds. Look at the U.S.O. centers and canteens--with their colorful, heart-lifting murals and decorations. Look at the magazines--never has the civilian population been shown so graphically what it must do to help win the war, and what our fighting men are accomplishing on farflung battle lines. Already in our great laboratories, art and science have joined up as fellow fighters against Hitler and Tojo. And after the war this collaboration will continue--its ties will strengthen more and more. The world of tomorrow promises fantastic inventions--and they must be shaped in beauty.". Manuscript. Book Condition: Collectible-Fine. Binding: No Binding

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