A Saga of Art

It is a saga of art.
Great concept art has been integal in the creation of each of the films. In this thread are paintings by two very talented artists (Ralph McQuarrie and Doug Chiang.) I tried to select a few concept paintings from each episode to illustrate the overall picture of the saga. It is also important to note that when George was pitching his film to the companies, he used McQuarrie?s paintings to allow them to visualize what the film would look like.

Ralph McQuarrie Art

Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/swart/paint/11.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/swart/paint/01a.JPG]

Star Wars Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/empart/paint/28.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/empart/paint/22.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/empart/paint/01.jpg]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/book/25/paint/02.JPG]

Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/rjart/paint/16.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/rjart/paint/03.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/rjart/paint/17.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/book/25/paint/22.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/book/25/paint/09.JPG]
[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/rjart/paint/04.JPG]



Doug Chiang
The Phantom Menace
[image=http://www.eyeonstarwars.com/episode1/picture/e468.jpg]
[image=http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Chateau/9532/dc/tc14-dc.jpg]
[image=http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Chateau/9532/dc/bongo-dc.jpg]
[image=http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Chateau/9532/dc/as-pod-dc.jpg]

Attack of the Clones
[image=http://www.sandtroopers.com/MOTM/kamino_platform.jpg]

I hope some of you will also post paintings as well as discuss how the art effects the film and how some of the paintings really illustrate the overall theme of the films. This thread is also to discuss the artist?s influence over the films.

-Seldon

 

The very essence of these films and the saga overall is visual. That alone gives you an idea of how important the previsualization is to the final product. It really amazes me how George can write up a paragraph long description of the most pivotal scenes and Ralph McQuarrie, and more recently with Doug Chiang, were able to come up with such elaborate visual sketches.


The most powerful and chilling of the visuals posted above would be the Luke/Palpatine confrontation.

 

Some of the Ralph McQ stuff looks like he painted it after seeing the movie. Incredible.

 

Ralph McQuarrie IMHO contributed almost as much to SW as George Lucas did. George was the architect with the idea, but Ralph was the engineer giving it structure and substance.

I'm not a huge Doug Chiang fan (for me, Ian McCaig brought more to the table).

Edit: Damn, can't get my images to post.

 

The whole ILM concept art and matte painting team is top notch! After all, everything you see on the screen is first created by them. Another artist I am fond of - Ryan Church. He has a very wide view of everything in his works, you can see very far in the distance and so on, and while I don't do technical concepts (yet.. I'm not a pro concept artist), he is a master of them and it's clear to see.
Anyways, enough of my ramble : ))

 

I always thought that first ANH painting was fascinating, especially before the PT. It's how I've come to picture Vader during the Jedi purge, prior to the events of ANH. He's a big, imposing, intimidating figure but also seems fast and agile. There's a ferociously youthful aggression that's not really present in Vader of the OT, when his aggression is more controlled. It's like seeing pictures of a very good friend before you knew him.

 

I really love the two pictures I chose for A New Hope. To see a lightsaber duel and the droids how the artist pictured them before the film.
I think that is remarkable work.

-Seldon

 

I really like the droids as well. It's such a sad and lonesome picture. Apparently the look on C3PO's face is what drew Anthony Daniels to the role. Lucas has said he originally intended 3PO to have a "used car salesman" personality. I have to say that the character Anthony Daniels created perfectly fits that picture.

 

Id like to see Frazettas' take on SW.

 

" Lucas has said he originally intended 3PO to have a "used car salesman" personality. I have to say that the character Anthony Daniels created perfectly fits that picture. "


Didnt Daniels adopt an English butler persona for 3PO?

 

Yes he did.
Lucas has stated that Daniels had become the character in such a way that after the audition, no one else could ever be 3P0.

-Seldon

 

Didnt Daniels adopt an English butler persona for 3PO?

Yes, Lucas liked Daniels' English butler so much that he dropped the used car salesman idea. I'd meant that McQuarrie's picture matches the final C3PO personality (English butler) perfectly and not so much the original concept (used car salesman).

 

Id like to see Frazettas' take on SW.

You might find this interesting:

Frank and GL

 

Thats great stuff Lament, thanks! I remember about 22 years ago my dad bought an original Death Dealer oil painting by Frazetta for 1500 bucks and my mother was SUPER pissed. Well - she aint pissed any more and Frazetta and his people call my mother at least 5 times a year offering her obscene amounts of money for the painting and since my dad passed away she wouldnt part with it for all the money in the world.

 

^ Woah!

Anyway, looking at these again, I just noticed something-- not only is the Vader in the ANH painting more agile than he is in the movies, he's using a blue lightsaber and not a red one!.

 

Looking under the Concept drawings for SW on the Ralph Mcquarrie site I found this:

[image=http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/ralph/swart/draw/32a.JPG]

Who is that? I assume an early shot of the Emporer. Would those be advisors on the stage? A crowd of followers behind him?
Could this have been a Whill? It has the look of whorship or summoning.

Sorry, the pic comes out small for me, you can go to the page to click on it for a larger shot:

RalphMcquarrie.com