Drew Struzan
Childhood Hero
While I briefly mentioned Drew Struzan in another post he definitely deserves a post of his own. He is, according to George Lucas, "The only artist worth collecting since World War II". While I think this is erhaps taking it too far, he has been one of my heroes since my childhood. Not that I was aware of it at the time, but I used to marvel at those fantastic movie-posters wondering what kind of magic was used to make them. A film with a poster like that had to be worth seeing!
Incredible But True!
Only several years later did I find out about the man behind the art. No magic-tricks, just an amazing talent in the visual arts. That his parents actually named him Drew is one of those coincidents that it is hard to believe. But it is nevertheless true.
The Hero Of A Thousand Faces
Better Than The Movie?
Being
one of the most recognizable poster-artists in
the world he is probably best known for his work
on Indiana Jones and Star Wars. Even if people
don't know about the man, they're likely to
recognize the style. In addition to the almost
super human technical talent, he also seems to
recognize the storytelling aspect needed of a
Movie Poster: Teasing the audience to see the
film. I dare say Drew's work is often the best
thing about a movie!
Personally I just find it gratifying to see someone build their success on an indisputable talent. Mr. Struzan makes the posters with a variety of natural medias and techniques, without the aid of Photoshop or other digital tools. Come to think of it, that sounds a little bit like magic after all...
