James Lucas | |
---|---|
Born | James Edward Lucas 20 December 1903 |
Nationality | British |
Occupations | |
Years active | 1930s |
Organization | Communist Party of Great Britain |
Spouse | Phyllis Ladyman |
James Edward Lucas (20 December 1903 – ) was a British illustrator and teacher, affiliated with the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). [1]
Lucas was born in Rugby, the son of Joseph Lucas, an engine driver, and Anne Marie Sail. His father died in 1906 and his mother remarried William Skipworth. [2] Electrical engineer George Sail Campbell Lucas OBE was his elder brother.
Lucas did not sign much of his work, making attribution difficult. [1]
He designed a banner for the British Battalion of the International Brigades, on behalf of the Artists International. [3] [4] Phyllis Ladyman, his wife and also an illustrator, oversaw its embroidering. [3] The banner's poles had metal finials by the sculptor Betty Rea. [3] It was presented to the battalion by Harry Pollitt at Christmas 1937. [3] When that banner was captured, he designed its replacement. [1] The replacement banner was shown as part of the Conscience and Conflict: British Artists and the Spanish Civil War exhibition at the Pallant House Gallery in 2015. [4]
He is also known for his engraving for the cover of early editions of The Country Standard. [1] He illustrated a 1947 edition of Ronald M. Lockley's I Know an Island.
He taught at Plymouth, where one of his pupils was Reg Turner, another CPGB affiliate. [1]
Dave Cope recalled him as "modest" and the "most political" among his artistic CPGB peers. [1]