The Art of John Alvin – Movie Poster’s Of The Past 40 Years
Whether or not you know the name John Alvin, if you’ve been to the cinema in the last 35 years, then you will be aware of his work.
His movie posters are among the most iconic images of the last 50 years, and have come to define our expectations and memories of films like Batman, Lion King, Willow, Empire of the Sun, and Star Wars.
His aim was to “create the promise of a great experience”; to define an entire movie in a single, irresistible image. In a career spanning 35 years, with original artwork for 135 films, and work for directors such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Mel Brooks and Ridley Scott, Alvin created a body of work that did just that.
His unique and beautiful hand-painted artwork, in particular his use of light and shadows, was so distinctive that his name came to define a style; Alvinesque, that is still being emulated despite significant changes in technology and fashion.
Alvin’s style rested on his ability to invoke emotion and nostalgia through his artwork, so it was perhaps only natural that he would be asked to create images for the “adult campaigns” for many Disney animated classics, including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Mulan. The adult campaign is designed to be “more elegant, more symbolic, and in Alvin’s masterful hands, imbued with a moody, almost magical aura”
In The Art of John Alvin, the author (his wife, business partner and frequent collaborator Andrea Alvin) has set out with a clear mission: to “connect the name John Alvin with the incredible body of work that he created.”
While primarily an ‘Art of’ book, stuffed with high resolution finished artwork as well as sketches, prelims, colour keys and notes; this beautiful book also finds room for text about the process, techniques, directions and inspirations that made each piece so unique.
The book is broken down in to around 40 films and offers insights in to each campaign; from the difficulties of realistically painting ET’s hand when it was being kept completely under wraps, to custom adapting an airbrush to produce the correct effect for one of Alvin’s famously evocative skies. There are behind the scenes insights that only a close confidant of the artist can offer such as “we used to imagine just how wealthy we might have become if John had received residuals on that image” (in reference to the ubiquitous design for ET), and “it became a challenge to John to make these changes [completely] seamless”.
John Alvin is the man behind several of the most iconic movie posters of all time. Hopefully this book will help his name become as famous as his creations.
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