Move over St. John, Krenkel, Frazetta — and Make Room for Zdenek Burian’s Stunning Tarzan Illustrations

When you walk through the front door of Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. the first walls you see are decorated with the extraordinary illustrations of Czech master Zdenek Burian. These illustrations are a feast for the eyes and imagination. Burian (1905-1981) was an extraordinarily prolific artist who left behind somewhere between 15,000 and 20,000 illustrations. His work is credited with being a leading force in paleological reconstruction. His illustrations of Tarzan are realistic, detailed, yet extraordinarily evocative. I absoslute love the work of St. John, Krenkel, Frazetta, and all the artists who are more famously associated with Edgar Rice Burroughs, but when it comes to capturing what’s going on in my mind when I’m reading ERB — Burian is the closest.

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