Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ralph McQuarrie’s Universe

After watching Rogue One again recently with my family, I couldn’t help but daydream about all of the incredible work produced by the one man behind all of the immersive designs that defined the original Star Wars universe. Legendary concept artist, Ralph McQuarrie, was the man behind the curtain working behind the scenes to bring key scenes to life.

His brushstrokes dazzled us from the moment we were jettisoned to the galaxy far, far away where a great adventure took place. The folks who crafted Rogue One paid close attention to every detail down to the nuts and bolts that held the X-wings together. Every decal. Every rivet. All images below © Ralph McQuarrie. Used for editorial purposes only.

Ralph McQuarrie also depicted key visuals in other monumental films such as this Bible illustration below of the Ark of the Covenant for Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. He was also involved in the mothership design (bottom) for Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

Ralph McQuarrie’s Bible illustration of the Ark of the Covenant as seen in Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981. Copyright Paramount Pictures.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind, 1977, mothership design. Written & Directed by Steven Spielberg. Music by John Williams. Copyright Paramount Pictures.

The Lost Art of the Movie Poster

I’ll never forget the Richard Amsel-illustrated movie poster for Raiders of the Lost Ark (below far left) that donned a corner of my teenage room.

I was enamored with the rich detail he rendered for my favorite whip-wielding adventure hero. It had depth, texture, and contrast.

ALL IMAGES ABOVE © RICHARD AMSEL.

ALL IMAGES ABOVE © DREW STRUZAN.

Then one day I saw another poster thinking it was Amsel’s latest creation, but his signature was absent from the corner. Scribed in a similar location was the simple, understated, lowercase script “drew.” I didn’t know at first sight that the artist, Drew Struzan, was one of the most iconic album cover and movie poster illustrators of all time.

Drew could somehow depict an entire movie’s essence in one illustration. His rendering transcended the film itself, elevating it to a whole other level. His The Thing poster is one of the most original and captivating of all of his designs (above far right). In true artistic fashion, he rendered it in one night. The paint was still wet when it was en route.

Struzan also had no reference material to draw from for The Thing, only his own vastly rich imagination. Both artists’ works all shared one thing: they were all one of a kind original works of art, not mass produced Photoshop-styled montages. These “Photoshop jockeys,” as they’ve been called, merely attempt to capture both Amsel’s and Struzan’s essence, and nearly always miss the mark by a long shot.

Traditional materials could never be completely replaced by modern-era pixel pushers. To explore Richard Amsel’s portfolio visit this tribute by Adam McDaniel. For more information on Drew Struzan watch The Man Behind the Poster. Also enjoy his extensive portfolio site here.