Drew Struzan Merges With The Infinite

 

Artist Drew Struzan, who painted the iconic posters for a wide, wide range of favorite movies during my lifetime, has passed.

I include the poster for Big Trouble in Little China above as, if Jamie would tolerate it, we'd most certainly have it up in the house.  Not only does it feature tremendous likenesses of Kurt Russell and Kim Cattrall, reason enough to have such a poster, it really captures the spirit of the film, full of action, supernatural nonsense, and two dopes caught in the middle.

Struzan had the astounding ability to really capture a sense of iconography with his work, whether it was Star Wars, Goonies, Back to the Future, Blade Runner or Indiana Jones.  He blended plot highlights, often in action that was not quite in the movie, but evoking *the spirit* of the movie and told a story in a single image or two.  His montage style both pulled from poster dynamics of the past and set in motion what lesser poster artists often try to do today (and usually fail, making their posters look like PhotoShopped garbage).

I always dug how Struzan almost managed to make the characters and images glow.  I mean, look at that light from the sun at the middle, and the warmth in the Dr.'s Jones there.  And the sun-beat look of Indiana on the horse?

Rather than me reposting here, I recommend you go to : 

Struzan's Instagram page

The Film Art Gallery

DrewStruzan.com

Struzan's work will live on for decades to come, and probably well beyond whatever I'm currently imagining.  He retired a few years ago, and had health issues for a bit.  I wish he and his family well, and hope that knowing what his work meant to people is some measure of condolence.  

And if you ever wonder if I won the lottery, and what the signs would be: