A Rare Glimpse of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Favorite Illustrator, J. Allen St. John
There have been many, many illustrators who have added immeasurably to the legacy of Edgar Rice Burroughs, but the one who Burroughs claimed was his favorite still in some fashion rises above the others — perhaps because he was first, perhaps because he was so close to ERB, or perhaps because he just got it right. He was my favorite long before I knew ERB’s view on the matter. For me, ERB evoked a compelling combination of classicism and flights of fancy . . . . and St. John most closely captured the images that were playing in my mind as I read the books.
This movie that Stuart Fullerton has posted on YouTube is just a strange little slice of life — an art class going through its paces. But there is a segment which shows the great J. Allen St. John demonstrating technique — and for those of us who look upon him as the Great Interpreter of Edgar Rie Burroughs.
I’ve cued it for the St. John part — you can watch the whole video on Youtube by clicking on the Youtube Icon.
For those who don’t know St. John, visit Erbzine’s J. Allen St. John Collection
Also, here are some of my favorites.
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Stuart Fullerton has a blog about the Chicago Palette and Chisel Club, an art club that had many famous artists and illustrators as members. The film was likely made of the Business Men’s Art Club sometime in the late 1920s. Stuart’s posting about the it is here: http://paletteandchisel.wordpress.com/?s=J.+Allen+St.+John with both parts of the film. The blog itself is very interesting as it concerns the doings of many in the Chicago art scene in the early 20th century.
Apparently, David Saunders showed some of this film at PulpFest last year in August. David maintains the wonderfully informative “Field Guide to Wild American Pulp Artists” web site at http://www.pulpartists.com/index.html