Drew Struzan
According to the recently deceased commercial artist Drew Struzan, “Artists have created pieces at the call—and threat—of the rich and powerful…Today corporations, big businesses and industries use the artist’s talent to promote themselves and their products. There is nothing wrong with this. In fact, there is everything right with it.”
The Oregon born Drew Struzan was an artist whose work you likely know quite well, even if the name is unfamiliar. From 1975 to his retirement in 2008, Struzan was a movie poster designer who created some of the most iconic imagery in the business, with credits that included STAR WARS (for its 1978 re-release) and its sequels, several INDIANA JONES movies, THE THING, BLADE RUNNER (both 1982), THE GOONIES (1985) and many more.
Drew Struzan Artwork
Struzan’s artwork also graced 1970s album covers that included Alice Cooper’s WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE (1975), innumerable movie and TV novelizations (I’m especially partial to his contributions to the INDIANA JONES AND THE… books) and board game boxes. Struzan’s major contributions, however, were his movie posters, which represent the closest that field has come to achieving high art.
Drew Struzan Artwork
Struzan was esteemed enough in his field to be featured quite prominently in a 1985 art exhibition at the Brea Civic Center, where he was first given the “legendary” designation. Eventually the public caught on to his talents; one of the few unambiguously positive things to come out of the Harry Knowles led geek culture explosion of the late nineties and early aughts was a newfound recognition of the accomplishments of Struzan, which led to the publication of two coffee table art books, THE ART OF DREW STRUZAN (2010) and DREW STRUZAN: OUEVRE (2011), and the documentary DREW: THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER (2013).
DREW: THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER (2013) Trailer
Struzan’s major competitors included David Grove (THE OUTSIDERS poster), C. Michael Dudash (PALE RIDER), Craig Nelson (SLAP SHOT) and Richard Farrell (TRANSYLVANIA 6-5000). The latter two were in competition with Struzan for the BACK TO THE FUTURE poster design, with Struzan winning out and (under the art direction of Jeffrey Bacon and David Reneric) creating for the highly iconic image we all know.
Drew Struzan Artwork
The “awesome burden” faced by Struzan and his fellows was articulated by Warner Bros. advertising guru Joel Wayne: “Given the limitations of a poster, for it has neither sound nor movement, it must somehow capture the spirit of a movie, communicate in a persuasive manner, and be eye-catching.” Furthermore, in the words of MGM advertising exec Gregory G. Morrison, “when the material is done well, solves marketing problems, handles egos, moves the goods, motivates the masses, illuminates the film it represents—and manages to maintain graphic clarity and style, it is art indeed.”
Struzan’s art is unmistakable, marked by photorealistic renderings of faces and bodies, albeit with an impressionistic sheen. The illumination was on the soft side, paired with extremely prominent rim (or back) lighting. For us eighties kids, this imagery went beyond mere enticement, being central to our interpretation of the films it advertised; speaking as someone who was around for the July 1985 opening of BACK TO THE FUTURE, I find it’s impossible to separate the film from Struzan’s incredible poster art. Ditto the image he created for THE THING, with which I became familiar long before I was allowed to see the film.
Drew Struzan Artwork
The end of Struzan’s reign as America’s premiere poster artist arrived in 2001, with the release of HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. Struzan turned out an iconic poster, and was slated to do the same for the second film (and the remainder of the HARRY POTTER franchise), but a regime change at Warner Bros. put an end to that. This new regime decided to go with photoshopped imagery (although Struzan ended up completing the CHAMBER OF SECRETS poster art he’d began, and sold it as an art piece). Such photo-based imagery quickly became the industry standard, resulting in a flood of undistinguished poster art. Struzan was forced to find other outlets for his artistry, including collectible plates, comic book covers and postage stamps (his “Legends of Hollywood” series was especially eye-catching).
Drew Struzan Artwork
Much of the artwork Struzan did in the years leading up to his 2008 retirement was commissioned by filmmakers like Frank Darabont, who had Struzan design the covers for the special edition DVDs of THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION in 2005, THE GREEN MILE in 2006 and THE MIST in 2008, and George Lucas, for whom Struzan designed the poster for INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2008).
Drew Struzan Artwork
He didn’t entirely stay retired, reentering the fold to design the posters for STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) and the HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON trilogy (2010-2019). I suspect Struzan would have continued working up until the day of his death, but Alzheimer’s disease put an end to his artistic endeavors and, inevitably, his life. RIP.