Going to the Drew Struzan Art Show

I'm sure many of you are reading the title and wondering who I am talking about. That's ok, his name isn't very well known. However, I guarantee that you have seen his work. And I will bet that you have enjoyed it.

Drew is an artist who has been working for several decades in the film industry, designing and illustrating movie posters. He has done work for many films including Star Wars, Blade Runner, E.T., the Indiana Jones films, Hellboy, Flintstones, Hook, and many, many more.

Here are some examples of his work...

Let me give you a little background for me. I first recognized Drew Struzan after I had watched and rewatched and watched again the movie Hook. The cover to that VHS was a striking image, a piece of art that showcased the film's many dazzling and fantastical moments. I remember thinking about that image at school waiting to return home to watch it again.

Well, on the VHS, on the painting, in the lower corner, was inscribed the name Drew. I thought it weird because it obviously had nothing to do with Hook. Then, slowly I began to recognize that distinctive Drew on other posters and VHS's. This was when I first became aware of the artist behind the posters, Drew Struzan.

Lately in the past year or two I began developing a great deal of affection for the old style of illustrated film posters and have started a collection. They mostly consist of Drew posters, but I do have others also hanging up (I enjoy movies what can I say). I currently have these posters framed (yes framed, I don't staple to walls anymore) and hanging in my home...

I learned that an exhibition of some of his work would be held at an art gallery in LA, and on the opening night of the exhibition, Drew himself would be there. I was geeking out; to get the chance to meet the man who has drawn some of the most iconic film images ever, was very exciting.

When I arrived at the gallery (after my 2.5 hour drive from Ridgecrest) it was fairly uncrowded (I was expecting quite a few more people). I went around and saw the works on display. Mostly it was Artist proof prints of his portfolio, however their were a handful of original paintings. One of the highlights for me was this...

I couldn't believe it, here it was. The poster that got me hooked on this artist, was on display. Remember, this wasn't merely a movie poster that you see in your local cineplex. This was the ORIGINAL painting. Slightly larger than a standard sized film poster, it had such incredible detail. I can't describe the pure joyous kiddy delight that sprung within me when I saw that painting on Friday night. I was that kid pouring over the old worn out VHS copy of Hook once again.

After finally prying away from the painting, I decided I would try and meet the man and give him my thanks. I hurriedly bought a book of his work so he could sign it and got in the growing line of people waiting to shake his hand. It dawned on me while I was waiting, that the majority of people here were from the art community, not strictly film buffs like myself. It was something I never really thought of but seemed so obvious, aspiring artists admired this man just as much as I did, but for completely different reasons.

I do not get starstruck, however I couldn't help but feel incredibly intimidated at meeting this man. Here he is, I am shaking the hand of the guy who has brought so much joy to the kid as well as the aspiring filmmaker inside me. I stumbled through some thanks and appreciations, as he was signing my book. When he was finished, I told him how disappointed I am that we will never see his full line up of Harry Potter posters. He conveyed the same disappointment saying "We don't get a say in the marketing, we don't make those decisions." But again I told him that it was sad the industry has turned their backs on traditional illustrated poster art. And that his stuff was amazing. He thanked me, I thanked him, and that was it.

Originally he was contacted to do the poster for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. He was told that they wanted him to do all the posters in a similar style. He did a painting for Chamber of Secrets, which the original was on display at the gallery:

But it was rejected for this photo poster:
It is sad that the appreciation for this art has diminished so severely. The demand has all but evaported for illustrated posters. There are exceptions such as last year's Indiana Jones posters, and the George Lucas Star Wars prequels. Guillermo del Toro commissioned Drew to do posters for Hellboy, Hellboy II, and Pan's Labyrinth. Sadly, none of the final designs were used for marketing purposes. Also Frank Darabont commissioned him to do the work for the Mist, as well as Special edition covers for the Shawshank Redemption and the Green Mile.

Darabont, Del Toro, Lucas, and Spielberg are just a few of a very small handful of filmmakers that still recognize the power of an iconic poster. Drew Struzan creates that iconography with every brush stroke.

Drew announced his retirement from film posters last year.

I highly encourage you to stop by Drew's website and check out some of his amazing stuff, including the three poster collage of the Star Wars original trilogy. It is awesome.

Sphere: Related Content