Boris Vallejo (born January 8, 1941)
[ is a ]Peruvian
Peruvians (''/peruanas'') are the citizens of Peru. What is now Peru has been inhabited for several millennia by cultures such as the Caral before the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Peruvian population decreased from an estimated 5–9 ...
-American painter[ who works in the ]science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
, and erotica
Erotica is art, literature or photography that deals substantively with subject matter that is erotic, sexually stimulating or sexually arousing. Some critics regard pornography as a type of erotica, but many consider it to be different. Erot ...
genres.[ His hyper-representational paintings have appeared on the covers of numerous novels in the science fiction, ]sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of Romance (love), romance, Magic (fantasy), magic, and the supernatural are also ...
, and fantasy fiction
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
genres, along with album covers for musical groups in addition to movie posters and other media. His art is also sold through a series of annual calendars.
Early biography
Born in 1941 in Lima
Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...
, Peru, Vallejo began painting at the age of 13, in 1954, and obtained his first illustration job three years later in 1957 at the age of 16. He attended Escuela Nacional Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes on a five-year scholarship, and was awarded a prize medal.
Career
After emigrating to the United States in 1964, at the age of 23, he quickly garnered a fan following from his illustrations of Tarzan
Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Creat ...
, Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian (also known as Conan the Cimmerian) is a fictional sword and sorcery hero created by American author Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) and who debuted in 1932 and went on to appear in a series of fantasy stories published in ''We ...
, Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a polymathic scientist, explorer, detective, and warrior who "right ...
, and various other fantasy characters (often done for paperback-fiction works featuring the characters). This led to commissions for movie-poster illustration, advertisement illustration, and artwork for various collectibles, including Franklin Mint paraphernalia, trading cards, and sculpture. Along with his wife Julie Bell, Vallejo presents his artwork in an annual calendar and various books.
Vallejo's preferred artistic medium is oil on board, and he has previously used photographs to combine discrete images to form composite images. Preparatory works are pencil or ink sketches, which have been displayed in the book ''Sketchbook''. He and Julie Bell have worked on collaborative artworks together, in which they sign the artwork with both names.
Vallejo has produced film poster
A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...
s for numerous fantasy and action movies, including '' Knightriders'' (1981), ''Q'' (1982), and '' Barbarian Queen'' (1985). He has also illustrated posters for comedies, notably '' National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), ''European Vacation'' (1985), '' Nothing but Trouble'' (1991) and '' Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters'' (2007), co-created with Bell.
He illustrated the 1978 Tarzan calendar. His sea serpent paintings hang in the queue of Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster (), known affectionately as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protrud ...
, a rollercoaster at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.
His art was also featured in the 1995 card game Hyborian Gates.
Awards
He received the Inkpot Award in 1978. He received the British Fantasy Award for best artist in 1979 for his painting ''The Amazon Princess and her Pet''. Vallejo also won the 2011 Chesley Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, and the 2014 Chesley Award for Best Product Illustration.
Publications
Vallejo's published works include:
* ''The Fantastic Art of Boris Vallejo'' (1980)
* ''Mirage'' (1982, reprinted 1996 and 2001)
* ''Enchantment. Stories By Doris Vallejo, Illustrated by Boris Vallejo'' (1984)
* ''Fantasy Art Techniques'' (1985)
* ''Ladies: Retold Tales of Goddesses and Heroines. By Boris and Doris Vallejo'' (1992)
* ''Bodies: Boris Vallejo: Photographic Art'' (1998)
* ''Dreams: The Art of Boris Vallejo'' (1999)
* ''Titans: The Heroic Visions of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell'' (2000)
* ''Sketchbook'' (2001)
* ''Twin Visions'' (2002)
* ''Fantasy Workshop: A Practical Guide'' (with Julie Bell) (2003)
* ''Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell: The Ultimate Collection'' (2005)
* ''The Fabulous Women of Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell'' (2006)
* ''Imaginistix'' (2006)
A yearly calendar of 13 paintings by Boris Vallejo and Julie Bell is produced by Workman Publishing.
References
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vallejo, Boris
1941 births
Living people
20th-century American male artists
20th-century Peruvian male artists
21st-century American painters
21st-century Peruvian male artists
21st-century Peruvian painters
Albums with cover art by Boris Vallejo
American illustrators
American male painters
Artists from Allentown, Pennsylvania
Artists from Lima
Fantasy artists
Inkpot Award winners
Peruvian emigrants to the United States
Peruvian male painters
Peruvian speculative fiction artists
Pin-up artists
Role-playing game artists
Science fiction artists
National Superior Autonomous School of Fine Arts, Lima alumni