The Art Of Drew Struzan [Review]

Blade Runner. Back To The Future. Indiana Jones. Star Wars.  They all have had the pleasure of being represented by the artwork of Drew Struzan.  Whether you knew it or not, you have seen Drew Struzan’s work for years. Drew has spent decades honing his artistic abilities to the status of legend. He is without a doubt one of the greatest living artists in the world.

Unfortunately for those of us who appreciate a well designed movie poster, or good art for that matter, we are given an ungodly amount of terrible “floating heads” or “photoshop lineup” posters that make me just as excited to watch a movie as I’m excited to watch paint dry. Uninspired, no emotion, lifeless. The exact opposite of everything that Drew brings to his work.

Luckily this year we not only get a documentary on his work, but Titan Books has published The Art Of Drew Struzan, which collects many of his classic works and includes many never before seen comps and finished pieces that were rejected or canceled for different reasons.

The Art Of Drew Struzan is comprised mostly of images. Those images pretty much speak for themselves.  From thumbnails to tight comps, and eventually finished paintings.  The text contains maybe a paragraph or two per film. A few more paragraphs if the story to complete an image it is a long one.

Drew, and accompanying writer David J. Schow, make those few sentences and paragraphs feel intimate. While reading through the book a second time, it feels like this book shouldn’t exist. Getting a peek into the process behind all those famous images feels like a huge privilege. It is both exciting and many times infuriating.

More after the jump!

Now to be clear, the anger does not come from Struzan but from the forces that ultimately pushed him to retire. There are countless images in this book that were far more exciting than what the studios ultimately used to represent their films.

Surprisingly, Waterworld happens to be one of those films. While ultimately going with a collage of photographs, the comps and finished works that Drew did were much more powerful. Another surprise is that even if a film is destined to be a success, not even the works of Drew Struzan are safe by those who think they have to change something, anything, to feel like they are doing their job. Case in point; Harry Potter.

Originally Drew was to have done a poster for every movie in the Harry Potter franchise. As you may or may not be aware, he only did one. While the book includes the finished work that would have been the second film’s poster, the powers that be decided to go with Photoshop. Just imagine how awesome it could have been to have had seven posters to represent each film in the series. It would have been great. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.

Another surprise revealed in this book to the outsider looking in just how little power the artist has now in the movie business.

Now that didn’t just extend itself to Drew, but to directors. George Lucas, Stephen Spielberg, and Frank Darabont can pretty much get whoever they want to work for them. It’s  because they are Lucas, Spielberg and Darabont (who got Struzan to do The Walking Dead poster seen earlier in this article). Jon Favreau and Guillermo Del Toro on the other hand have to move heaven and earth to get Drew’s work used for their films. The latter of which has tried three times to get Drew’s work to be the poster for his films and has been overruled all three times.

At one point in the book, Struzan recalls when a reporter asked a suit why Drew’s powerful illustration for Pan’s Labyrinth wasn’t used as the poster. The suit responded “We didn’t use it because it looks too much like art.” If you read that last sentence and felt the sudden impulse to throw a chair, you are not alone.

While there are many stories in the book that make you want to boycott Hollywood altogether, at the end of the day The Art Of Drew Struzan is a celebration of the work and talent of a man who has had his fair share of ups and downs and come out out of it for the better.  The Art Of Drew Struzan is a compelling read and a must have for anyone interested in movies, art, or both. The book is available now and you can purchase it here. Below is the trailer for the documentary Drew: The Man Behind The Poster.

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