The Art of Star Wars
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''The Art of Star Wars'' is a
series of books A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their pub ...
by various editors featuring concept art from the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' motion picture saga. The books mainly feature artwork accompanied by a short explanation of the scene and the artist's ideas, but also script notes, posters and other information. The first books were published by
Ballantine Books Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann in 1998 and remains ...
, a subsidiary of
Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
, with later editions appearing under the DelRey and LucasBooks
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
s. Later titles were published by
Harry N. Abrams Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher La Martinière Groupe. Run by President and CEO Michael ...
. ''The Art of Star Wars'' was also the title of an
exhibition An exhibition, in the most general sense, is an organized presentation and display of a selection of items. In practice, exhibitions usually occur within a cultural or educational setting such as a museum, art gallery, park, library, exhibition ...
of ''Star Wars'' artwork, props, and costumes mounted by
Lucasfilm Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC is an American film and television production company and a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is a business segment of The Walt Disney Company. The studio is best known for creating and producing the ''Star Wars'' and ' ...
at the
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) is a multi-disciplinary contemporary arts center in San Francisco, California, United States. Located in Yerba Buena Gardens, YBCA features visual art, performance, and film/video that celebrates local, natio ...
in San Francisco in 1995. The exhibition was subsequently expanded to various international venues from 2000–2001, including the
Barbican Art Gallery The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibi ...
in London and the
Helsinki City Art Museum Helsinki Art Museum ( fi, Helsingin taidemuseo, sv, Helsingfors konstmuseum), abbreviated as HAM, is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland. It is located in Tennispalatsi in Kamppi. The museum reopened after renovations and rebranding (as HAM) in 20 ...
.


Content

Carol Titelman's first volume, originally entitled ''The Art of Star Wars'', was published in 1979 amid a popular trend for behind-the-scenes, "
making-of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...
" media products (such as ''
The Making of Star Wars ''The Making of Star Wars'' is a television special produced by 20th Century Fox, which aired on the ABC Television Network on September 16, 1977. It was written by Richard Schickel and directed and produced by Robert Guenette. Synopsis Premie ...
'' documentary). The book presents a range of pre-production
concept art Concept art is a form of visual art used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire the ...
,
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
s, and publicity shots alongside Lucas's screenplay. It has been noted as a rich record of the
previsualization Previsualization (also known as previsualisation, previs, previz, pre-rendering, preview or wireframe windows) is the visualizing of scenes or sequences in a movie, prior to filming. It is also a concept in various creative practices, including an ...
behind the 1977 movie that gives the reader an insight into the "possibilities that might have been" in the final
production design In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wor ...
, and that challenges the "authorial singularity and originality" that normally surrounds the works of a Hollywood
auteur An auteur (; , 'author') is an artist with a distinctive approach, usually a film director whose filmmaking control is so unbounded but personal that the director is likened to the "author" of the film, which thus manifests the director's unique ...
. The first volume has been called the definitive work on the development of the cinematographic art of Star Wars, a body of creative works that heavily influenced later films. The first book presents some of the earliest concept sketches of a number of now-familiar characters of the ''Star Wars'' universe, including early impressions of the helmet of
Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
, the droids
C-3PO C-3PO () or See-Threepio is a humanoid robot character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise who appears in the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel trilogy. Built by Anakin Skywalker, was designed as a protocol droid intended to as ...
and
R2-D2 R2-D2 () or Artoo-Detoo is a fictional robot character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. He has appeared in ten of the eleven theatrical ''Star Wars'' films to date. At various points throughout the course of the films, R2, ...
,
Imperial stormtrooper Stormtrooper are soldiers in the fictional ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Introduced in '' Star Wars: A New Hope'' (1977), the stormtroopers are the shock troops/ space marines of the autocratic Galactic Empire, under the ...
s, and the alien clientele of the
Mos Eisley Mos Eisley is a spaceport town in the fictional ''Star Wars'' universe. Located on the planet Tatooine, it first appeared in the 1977 film ''Star Wars'', described by the character Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Alec Guinness) as a "wretched hive of s ...
Cantina on the planet
Tatooine Tatooine () is a fictional desert planet that appears in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. It is a beige-colored, desolate world orbiting a pair of binary stars, and inhabited by human settlers and a variety of other life forms. The planet was first ...
. The concept sketches and
matte painting A matte painting is a painting, painted representation of a landscape, set (film and TV scenery), set, or distant location that allows filmmaking, filmmakers to create the illusion of an environment that is not present at the filming location. H ...
s of
Ralph McQuarrie Ralph Angus McQuarrie (; June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator. His career included work on the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, the original ''Battlestar Galactica'' television series, the film '' ...
feature heavily, alongside sketches by
Joe Johnston Joseph Eggleston Johnston II (born May 13, 1950) is an American film director, producer, writer, and visual effects artist. He is best known for directing effects-driven films, including ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' (1989), ''Jumanji'' (1995 ...
,
set design Scenic design (also known as scenography, stage design, or set design) is the creation of theatrical, as well as film or television scenery. Scenic designers come from a variety of artistic backgrounds, but in recent years, are mostly trained ...
drawings by John Barry,
costume design Costume design is the creation of clothing for the overall appearance of a character or performer. Costume may refer to the style of dress particular to a nation, a class, or a period. In many cases, it may contribute to the fullness of the arti ...
sketches by John Mollo, storyboards by Alex Tavoularis and photographs by
Bob Seidemann Robert Emett (Bob) Seidemann (December 28, 1941 – November 27, 2017 ) was an American graphic artist and photographer. Biography Seidemann was born in Manhattan, New York, and grew up in Queens. He graduated from Manhattan High School of Aviat ...
and
John Jay John Jay (December 12, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, abolitionist, signatory of the Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served as the second governor of New York and the first ...
. McQuarrie's work was considered highly influential in the production of the first three Star Wars movies; Journalist Jonathan Jones wrote of McQuarrie: ''"Looking at his '' cQuarrie's' paintings, you can recognise that the appeal of this art is similar to that of 19th century Orientalist paintings of harems and sandy vistas."'' Section one of the book, accompanied by illustrations, features "the script" and is introduced by the title page text: "''Star Wars'' ''Episode'' ''IV'' ''A New Hope'' ''from the'' ''Journal of the Whills'' by George Lucas Revised Fourth Draft January 15, 1976 Lucasfilm Ltd." Later book sections, from pages 138 to 175, feature the artwork of
film poster A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...
s by
Tom Jung Thomas Jung is an American Art director#In advertising, art director, graphic designer, illustrator, and storyboard artist.The Star Wars Poster Book, Stephen J. Sansweet, Chronicle Books (October 13, 2005)The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive ...
, Dan Goozee,
Drew Struzan Drew Struzan (; born March 18, 1947) is an American artist, illustrator and cover designer. He is known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ''Blade Runner'', ''Mallrats'', as well as films in the ''In ...
,
John Berkey John Berkey (August 13, 1932 – April 29, 2008) was an American artist known for his space and science fiction themed works. Some of Berkey's best-known work includes much of the original poster art for the ''Star Wars'' trilogy, the poster for ...
,
Tom Chantrell Thomas William Chantrell (20 December 1916 – 15 July 2001) was a British illustrator and cinema poster artist. Born the son of a circus performer in Manchester, England, he started work in advertising as an illustrator. During WWII he put hi ...
, the Hildebrandt Brothers,
Howard Chaykin Howard Victor Chaykin (; born October 7, 1950) is an American comic book artist and writer. Chaykin's influences include his one-time employer and mentor, Gil Kane, and the mid-20th century illustrators Robert Fawcett and Al Parker. Early life ...
, Wojtek Siudmak and Ralph McQuarrie; and the art of spin-off products such as the Marvel Comics series, ''Star Wars''-themed cartoons such as '' Berry's World'' and '' Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies''; and fan art. Two volumes were subsequently published to accompany the sequel films; ''The Art of the Empire Strikes Back'', edited by Deborah Call, was published in 1980; and ''The Art of Return of the Jedi'' was published in 1983. In 2000, the ''Star Wars'' prequel trilogy began with the release of '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', and corresponding books in ''The Art of Star Wars'' series were published. As in previous volumes, these books contain paintings, sketches, mock-ups, models and photos of scenes, buildings, costumes, characters, spacecraft and creatures, along with digitally mastered pictures. The books chart the progress of production from original gouache drawings to the three-dimensional models of spaceships. McQuarrie had retired by this stage, and the production artwork of
Doug Chiang Doug Chiang (; born 16 February 1962) is an American film designer and artist. He currently serves as vice president and executive creative director of Lucasfilm. Early life Chiang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. His dad had gone to Michigan in th ...
features heavily in these books. Extracts from the ''Episode I'' book were published in a 48-page booklet accompanying a US "collectors' edition"
videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassett ...
of ''The Phantom Menace'' in 2000. ''The Art of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith'', published in 2005, features a foreword by director George Lucas, and presents the early concept art for significant scenes in ''Episode III'', in particular the final
lightsaber A lightsaber is a fictional energy sword featured throughout the ''Star Wars'' franchise. A typical lightsaber is depicted as a luminescent plasma blade about in length emitted from a metal hilt around in length. First introduced in the or ...
duel of
Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan Kenobi () is a fictional Character (arts), character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Within the Star Wars original trilogy, original trilogy, Obi-Wan is a Jedi Master as a supporting character and is portrayed by English actor Alec Guinn ...
and
Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
on the hellish lava planet of
Mustafar Mustafar () is a fictional volcanic and lava planet in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the final prequel film, ''Revenge of the Sith'' (2005), it also appeared in the films ''Rogue One'' (2016) and ''Episode IX – The Rise of Skywal ...
, and the medical chamber where
Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
is dressed in his trademark armour. Following the acquisition of Lucasfilm by
The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
in 2012, a sequel trilogy went into production. ''The Art of Star Wars: The Force Awakens'', published in 2015, features the work of concept artists
Iain McCaig Iain McCaig (born March 19, 1957) is an American artist, writer, and filmmaker. He was involved in the '' Star Wars'' franchise and many other iconic film and book projects, including an album cover for Jethro Tull's Broadsword and the Beast.Rei ...
and Craig Alzmann, production designer
Rick Carter Rick Carter (born 1950, Los Angeles, California) is an American production designer and Art director#In film, art director. He is best known for his collaborations with directors Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis, particularly on the films ''B ...
and Doug Chiang. The book contains early concept art tracing the early development of the character of
Kylo Ren Kylo Ren is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He first appeared as the main antagonist of ''The Force Awakens (2015)'', in which he is portrayed by Adam Driver. Driver reprised his role in the sequel films '' Star Wars: The ...
, and also reveals preliminary sketches that illustrate a proposed appearance of Anakin Skywalker as a malevolent "
Force ghost The Force is a metaphysical and ubiquitous power in the ''Star Wars'' fictional universe. "Force-sensitive" characters use the Force throughout the franchise. Heroes like the Jedi seek to "become one with the Force", matching their personal will ...
".


Reprints

Following the theatrical release of ''
The Empire Strikes Back ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back'') is a 1980 American epic film, epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner from a screenplay by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan, based o ...
'' in 1980, and the re-release of the original ''Star Wars'' film in 1981, the film series adopted an episodic naming convention in the
opening crawl The ''Star Wars'' opening crawl is a signature device of the opening sequences of every numbered film of the ''Star Wars'' series, an American epic space opera franchise created by George Lucas. Within a black sky background featuring a smatteri ...
. From 1994, reprinted editions of the first three books also adopted episode titles — ''The Art of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope'', and so on. Revised editions of the first three books were published in 1997, with changes and new material added to reflect the additional special effects used in the Special Edition theatrical releases.


The books


See also

* List of ''Star Wars'' artists


References


External links

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Art Of Star Wars, The Books about Star Wars Books about visual art Ballantine Books books Del Rey books Abrams Books books 1979 books American non-fiction books