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Hello
Dolly (2)
1969
Lace, colored paper collage with pencil, pen and ink and watercolor
18 x 18 in.
Here is Amsel's original design, only slightly modified for the
final poster.
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Woodstock
(2)
1970
Acrylic and watercolor on board
32 1/4 x 21 3/4 in.
Finished art for movie campaign.
You can also see a cleaner B&W scan of this image here. |
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Woodstock
(2)
1970
Acrylic and watercolor on board
29 1/2 x 25 3/4 in.
Amsel used this image as the mailer in his portfolio, sent to ad
agencies and studios in the early 70's. |
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Ryan's
Daughter (7)
1970
Acrylic on board
25 x 20 in.
Unused art for David Lean's romantic epic. |
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McCabe
& Mrs. Miller
1971
Oils and acrylics on wood
(Size unknown.)
Amsel wasn't just a talented illustrator but an ingenious designer.
Here, for Robert Altman's period western, Amsel's "canvas"
was an actual piece of wood! Notice, too, his mastery of lettering,
long before computers made such elaborate typestyle commonplace.
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The
Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
1972
(Size and medium unknown.)
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Up
the Sandbox
1972
(Size and medium unknown.) |
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The
Sting
1973
(Size and medium unknown.)
Amsel's design paid homage to the painting syle of J.C. Leyendecker,
and evoked both Leyendecker's "Arrow Collar Man" and
beloved Saturday Evening Post covers. Leyendecker's technique
is extremely difficult for even skilled painters to emulate; Amsel
was in his mid twenties when he did it.
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Papillon
(2)
1973
Gouache, watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pen and ink on
board
30 x 22 in.
Another example of one of my favorite films and a favorite poster,
with a striking use of color and texture.
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Chinatown
1974
(Size and medium unknown.)
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The
Little Prince
1974
(Size and medium unknown.)
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Murder
on the Orient Express (3)
1974
Gouache, colored pencils, acrylic on board
28.5 x 15.75 in.
A big creative challenge for any illustrator: meeting the demand
of the "Likeness Clause" in the contracts of a film's
many stars, where the size of a given actor's likeness must be
equal to all the others in the advertising campaign. Such was
the case for this lavish emsemble adaptation of the Agatha Christie
story. Amsel keenly incorporated the shape of a knife, while using
the Orient Express as the blade's "handle".
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Lucky
Lady (2)
1975
Watercolor, pencil, acrylic, pen and ink on board
30 x 30 in.
Amsel's artwork for Stanley Donen's big-budgeted crime caper was
reproduced on a billboard in Times Square, covering two city blocks.
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Nashville
(2)
1975
Watercolor, colored pencil, acrylic, gouache, pen and ink on board
40 x 30 in.
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The
Late Show (2)
1976
Watercolor, acrylic, airbrush, colored pencils on board
21 x 19 in.
Amsel often incorporated a film's title design into his illustrations,
making them a part of the art itself. The Late Show is
a good example.
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The
Last Tycoon (2)
1976
Watercolor, acrylic, airbrush, colored pencils and ink on board
32 x 23 in.
Unused design for Elia Kazan's classic Hollywood satire.
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The
Shootist (3)
1976
Conte pencil on glassine
11.5 x 18 in.
This comprehensive sketch for John Wayne's final film gives us
a rare glimpse into Amsel's artistic process. For every polished,
final one-sheet there are many, many studies and sketches; yet
regrettably, most are not yet available to the public. I saw this
original sketch back in 2000 when it was put up for auction; whether
or not the ghostly "shadow" of the horserider at the
bottom was something erased, or deliberately faded, I could not
tell.
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The
Shootist (2)
1976
Watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, colored pencils, gouache and gold
paint on board
(Size of art unknown.)
What I'd give to see this original with my own eyes! Amsel, I've
been told, sometimes used gold paint with his illustrations for
dramatic effect, even though it couldn't be accurately reproduced
on the final poster due to printing limitations. This portrait
must have made The Duke himself proud.
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Voyage
of the Damned (2)
1976
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pastels and pencils on board
34 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.
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The
Seven Percent Solution (2)
1976
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pen and ink on board
22 x 18 in.
Based on Nicholas Meyer's famous story, Herbert Ross' film has Sherlock
Holmes meeting Sigmund Freund. Amsel beautifully captures the decorative
Art Nouveau style of Alfons Mucha in this painting that, unfortunately,
was allegedly plagarized by another artist in the final poster illustration. |
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Between
the Lines
1977
(Size and medium unknown.)
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Julia
(2)
1977
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, gouache with applied lettering
on board
40 x 30 in.
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New
York, New York (2)
1977
Pen and ink, gouache and pencil on tissue paper laid down on board
13 1/2 x 11 1/4 in.
Unusued comprehensive art for Martin Scorsese's controversial, ambitious
musical. |
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New
York, New York (2)
1977
Pen and ink, gouache and pencil on tissue paper laid down on board
13 1/2 x 11 1/4 in. |
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The
Big Sleep (3)
1978
Watercolor, acrylic, gouache, colored pencils, airbrush on board
22 1/2 x 16 in.
Amsel's preliminary design for the final one-sheet. (Below.)
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The
Big Sleep (3)
1978
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, airbrush on board
22 7/8 x 16 in.
Finished art for the movie crime thriller.
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Paradise
Alley (2)
1978
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pen and ink on board
26 x 20 in.
Unused finished art for Sylvester Stallone's directorial debut.
(More people might have seen the film had Amsel's poster been
used!)
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Death
on the Nile (2)
1978
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pen and ink on board
40 x 30 in.
Here Amsel continued the visual motif he employed with his design
for Murder on the Orient Express. |
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Cuba
(2)
1979
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, and airbrush on board
40 x 40 in.
Unused poster design. |
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The
Muppet Movie (2)
1979
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pen and ink on board
40 x 30 in.
Unused finished art for the classic family film.
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The
Champ (3)
1979
Watercolor, colored pastels and pencils on board
29 3/4 x 21 1/4 in.
Unused artwork for the film's American release.
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The
Champ (2)
1979
Watercolor, colored pastels and pencils on board
29 1/4 x 20 1/4 in.
Amsel's art was used for the film's European release. |
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Norma
Rae (2)
1979
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pastels and pencils on board
16 x 16 in. |
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The
Seven Year Itch (2)
1980
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils on board
30 1/4 x 28 in.
This piece, featuring the iconic moment of Marilyn Monroe, a dress,
and a pesky subway exhaust vent, was used for the classic film's
release on laserdisc. A variation of this artwork was later used
for ads by a Hollywood collectibles company.
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Nijinsky
(2)
1980
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils and gold paint on board
25 x 20 in. |
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Nijinsky
(2)
1980
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils, pen and ink, and gold paint
on board
23 1/4 x 23 1/4 in.
Unused poster design. |
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Coal
Miner's Daughter (2)
1980
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils and pencils on board
18 x 14 3/4 in.
Amsel's unused piece for the Oscar-winning film is actually one
of my personal favorites. Though his illustrative technique is
instantly recognizable, Amsel injects it with a delicate sensitivity
not often seen in his more "popular" works.
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Little
Miss Marker (2)
1980
Watercolor, acrylic, airbrush, colored pencils, graphite and pen
on board
21 1/2 x 16 1/8 in.
Amsel's unused poster design harked back to the period style of
the thirties and forties; even the titles and names have been
drawn. Note his keen use of color and texture, too.
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Flash
Gordon (2)
1980
Watercolor, acrylic, airbrush, colored pencils, and gouache on
board
34 x 21 in.
A poster so good, you can practically hear the Queen theme song.
Flash! Ah-ah!
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark (2)
1981
Watercolor, acrylic, airbrush, colored pencils on board
27 x 21 in.
The one and only: Amsel's poster used for the film's initial American
campaign. It seems inconceivable now, but public awareness of
the film was minimal in the weeks leading up to Raiders'
release. Goes to show what good word of mouth -- and a nice poster!
-- can do.
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The
Incredible Shrinking Woman (2)
1981
Watercolor, acrylic, gouache, airbrush, and colored pencils.
31 1/2 x 22 in. |
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All
Night Long (2)
1981
Watercolor, acrylic, gouache and pencil on board.
25 1/2 x 16 1/2 in.
Unused artwork for underrated Gene Hackman/Barbara Streisand vehicle. |
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark
1982
Watercolor, acrylic, gouache, airbrush, and colored pencils on
board
(Size of art unknown; printed poster 40 x 27 in.)
Amsel's poster for the action/adventure film's re-release is,
in my eyes, the greatest movie poster ever made.
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The
Dark Crystal (2)
1982
Watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, colored pencils on board
40 1/4 x 30 in.
Another one of my favorites, for Jim Henson's classic fantasy adventure.
The title is also part of the drawn illustration. |
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Beyond
the Limit
1983
(Size and medium unknown.)
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Terms
of Endearment (2)
1983
Watercolor, acrylic, and colored pencils on board
28 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.
Unused poster design. |
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A
Star is Born (2)
1983
Watercolor, gouache, colored pencils and airbrush on board
24 1/4 x 20 1/2 in.
Amsel was commissioned by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences for the restored, rereleased version of the classic musical.
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Mad
Max Beyond Thunderdome (2)
1985
Watercolor, acrylic, colored pencils and airbrush on board
36 1/4 x 24 in.
This stunning piece would be Amsel's last for a movie campaign.
He died before completing his poster design for The Jewel of
the Nile, the sequel to Romancing the Stone.
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