Drew Struzan, the man who made us want to watch a movie by just looking at its poster,, has passed away, aged 78. His style was instantly recognizable: hyper-realistic, fantastical portraits with bold colors, and compositions that made a single poster feel like a mini-epic.
Some might not have been familiar with his name, but Struzan’s rich, painterly realism and cinematic composition were instantly recognizable. He often blended lifelike portraits of characters with dramatic lighting and detailed textures. He could capture the essence of a film in a single image.
From ‘Star Wars’ to ‘Indiana Jones’ to ‘Back to the Future,’ Struzan’s posters are iconic. His genius wasn’t just skill—it was love for cinema. His posters weren’t marketing, but rather invitations, timeless pieces of art that continue to inspire illustrators and delight fans today.
Has any artist managed to sell films purely based on a poster better than Struzan? He didn’t just do that, but in the process, immortalized them as well — just take a look at the examples below.
