It isn’t necessary to present the figure of Tarzan with his savages beasts , this naked guy running and jumping from tree to tree in the well known exotic jungle settings. Long before Hal Foster began his newspaper comic strip of Tarzan in 1928, there were already several illustrator of Edgar Rice Burroughs‘ books. The one who was Burroughs‘ favorite, was James Allen St. John. He captured the images of the writer, a combination of classicism and flights of fancy. His illustrations inspired the next generations of fantastic artists including Roy G. Krenkel, Jeffrey Jones and Frank Frazetta.
He was born October 1, 1872 in Chicago, Illinois. Reading his biography, one recognizes that he has inherited his talent for drawing and art painting from his mother.
In 1915 he illustrated chapter headings for The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs for McClurg Publishing. The dust-jacket was painted by N.C. Wyeth. In 1916 he drew the story illustrations as well as the dust-jacket cover for The Beasts of Tarzan. This was the first of many painted covers for Tarzan books, for which the artist is most renowned.
In 1917 he began to teach Painting and Illustration classes at the Art Institute of Chicago. He continued to teach for the rest of his life. In the 1920s he illustrated stories for many of the top magazines, such as Colliers, The Rotarian, and Liberty. During the years of the Great Depression he worked for Boy's World, Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Magic Carpet and Weird Tales. J. Allen St. John died at age eighty-four in Chicago on May 23, 1957.
Es ist wohl nicht nötig, hier Tarzan mit seinen wilden Tieren vorzustellen, diesen halbnackten Burschen, der in exotischen Dschungeln von Baum zu Baum springt. Lange bevor Hal Foster mit seinem Zeitungscomic von Tarzan 1928 begann, finden sich schon zahlreiche Illustratoren für Edgar Rice Burroughs Bücher. Unter ihnen war James Allen St. John der Favorit von Burroughs. Er konnte in seinen Bildern die Komposition von Klassik und den Flug der Phantasie des Schritstellers einfangen. Seine Bilder inspirierten sicher die nächste Generation von Künstlern wie Roy G. Krenkel, Jeffrey Jones und Frank Frazetta.
James Allen St. John wurde am 1. Oktober 1872 in Chicago geboren. Liest man seine Biographie, wird klar, dass seine zeichnerische, künstlerische Begabung von seiner Mutter stammte.
Um 1915 illustrierte er die Kapitelanfänge für The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs for McClurg Publishing. Der Schutzumschlag stammte von N. C. Wyeth. 1916 zeichnete er Bilder und den Schutzumschlag für The Beasts of Tarzan. Es ist der erste Schutzumschlag von vielen anderen, die folgten und durch die der Künstler bekannt wurde.
1917 begann er Malerei und Illustration am Art Institute of Chicago zu unterrichten, was er bis zu seinem Lebensende fortsetzte. 1920 illustrierte er Geschichten in bekannten Magazinen, wie Colliers, The Rotarian, und Liberty. Während der Grossen Depression arbeitete er für Boy's World, Amazing Stories, Fantastic Adventures, Magic Carpet and Weird Tales. J. Allen St. John starb 1957 im Alter von 84 Jahren in Chicago.