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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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Happily, the recent Blu Ray release wisely includes Amsel's illustration. Again, here's an example of how much the colors of an illustration can vary; they look much warmer (with more emphasis on purples than blues) than the earlier scan above. |
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Nijinsky
1980
Colored pencil on glassine
15 x 15"
Preliminary study for movie poster.
This
piece is currently up for auction by Illustration
House. |
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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
30 x 24 1/4 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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Coal
Miner's Daughter -- sketch (12)
1980
Colored pencil on tracing paper
17 7/8 x 16 3/8 in. |
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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
Acrylic, airbrush, colored pencils, and gouache on board
22 5/8 x 16 3/8 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 -- sketch (12)
1981
One of Amsel's earliest drawings of Indiana Jones. |
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark -- Color comprehensive art
1981
Colored pencil and ink on tracing paper
19.5 x 13.75 in. |
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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 its release. Goes to show what good word of mouth --
and a nice poster! -- can do. |
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark
1981
Printed poster 40 x 27 in. |
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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 (top: 14, bottom: 12)
1982
Pencil on vellum
Amsel's preliminary sketches for the rerelease poster.
Bottom images:
12 x 9 in. |
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark
1982
19.5 x 13.75 in.
Colored pencil and ink on tracing paper.
Color comprehensive art for rerelease poster.
Image copyright (c) Dorian Hannaway/University
of the Arts. |
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark -- original illustration (11)
1982
(Exact size uncertain; possibly 27 x 20 in.?)
Watercolor, acrylic, gouache, and colored pencils on board.
Normally,
most movie poster artists work on cavasses as large as
-- or larger than -- the dimensions of the final printed
one sheet. Many of Amsel's original pieces, however, are
considerably smaller than what you'd expect. His first
RAIDERS illustration, for example, was only about half
the size of a standard poster -- a testament to how intricate
and detailed his work was. |
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Raiders
of the Lost Ark
1982
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 (9)
1982
Mixed media on glassine
17 x 12 1/2 in.
Comp for final poster design. Notice how Amsel incorporated
the film's title design into the poster by hand. |
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The
Dark Crystal
1982
Watercolor, acrylic, pen and ink, colored pencils on
board
26.5 x 20" in.
Another one of my favorites, for Jim Henson's classic
fantasy adventure. The title is also part of the drawn
illustration.
Image
courtesy of Illustration
House.
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The
Dark Crystal
1982
Printed poster 40 x 27 in. |
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Beyond
the Limit
(aka The Honorary Consul, featured right)
1983
Size and medium unknown. |
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Beyond
the Limit
(aka The Honorary Consul)
1983
Original artwork courtesy of Judith Davis Goldman, who modeled for Amsel's illustration. |
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Sahara
(11)
1983
Colored pencil, acrylic, and airbrush on board.
Unused concept design. |
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Sahara
-- sketch (12)
1983 |
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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.
NEW!
CLICK
HERE to see a new, high resolution version of this
artwork!
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Yentl
(12)
1983
Size unknown.
Colored pencils.
Unused concept sketches.
Special thanks to Thomas Haller Buchanan for the bottom image. |
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Mad
Max Beyond Thunderdome -- sketches (12)
1985
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Mad
Max Beyond Thunderdome
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.
For
info on the original piece, contact Joe
Ulster. |
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Mad Max - Beyond Thunderdome
1985
Printed poster 40 x 27 in. |
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