ARCHIVE
2009
Nov,
22, 2009: Additions to the galleries!
Very
special thanks to David Edward Byrd for providing these new
images to me:
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Sept. 20, 2009: R.I.P. BERNIE FUCHS (1932-2009)
By
Adam Bernstein, Washington Post Staff Writer
Bernie Fuchs, 76, an illustrator whose influential work for
magazines ranging from Cosmopolitan to Sports Illustrated seamlessly
blended qualities of traditional narrative with hints of abstract
composition, died of esophageal cancer Sept. 17 at a care facility
in Fairfield, Conn. He lived in nearby Westport.
Mr.
Fuchs was adept at balancing art and commerce. He met the needs
of mass-circulation magazines accustomed to Norman Rockwell-style
realism, but he injected a fresh vitality and impressionism
that became hugely popular and transformed the illustration
field. He even experimented with bold designs based on the abstract
expressionism movement popularized by painters Jackson Pollock
and Willem de Kooning.
One
vivid example, commissioned by McCall's magazine in the late
1950s, was a portrait
of two young couples relaxing in a small room after dinner.
One man is lying on the ground, his head nestled on a woman's
lap and smoking a cigarette as she strokes his hair. While the
image has the control and realism of Rockwell, it also has several
more dynamic features taken from avant-garde techniques: the
vigorous brush strokes; the tilted horizon that heightens a
sense of drama; a lampshade in the foreground that appears slightly
distorted; and, most strikingly, the placement of the couples
in the distance instead of being the center of the picture.
"Bernie
combined the best of both worlds," said illustrator Murray Tinkelman,
who directs the University of Hartford's master of fine arts
program and chairs the New York-based Society of Illustrators'
hall of fame committee. "He became the most emulated and imitated
illustrator in the field through the 1980s . . . when the vogue
turned to more decorative, whimsical, punkier illustrations
that were influenced by underground cartoons like those of Robert
Crumb."
Mr.
Fuchs entered the hall of fame in 1975. He was among the youngest
inductees on a roster that includes Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Winslow
Homer and John James Audubon.
Bernard
Leo Fuchs was born Oct. 19, 1932, in the coal mining town of
O'Fallon, Ill., and his father soon abandoned the family. As
a young man, Mr. Fuchs enjoyed drawing characters from Walt
Disney movies and "The Wizard of Oz," but his main interest
became jazz trumpet.
He
worked in a machine shop after high school, and the loss of
three fingers from his right hand ended his musical ambitions.
He enrolled in art school out of desperation, figuring it was
his only career prospect.
The
money he received from the accident paid for his art training
at Washington University in St. Louis, where he graduated in
1954. About this time, he married his high school sweetheart,
Anna Lee Hesse. She survives, living in Westport, along with
their three children, Cynthia Fuchs of Washington, Derek Fuchs
of Casselberry, Fla., and Ellise Fuchs of Torino, Italy; and
three grandchildren.
After
college, Mr. Fuchs went to work for a commercial art studio
in Detroit and found immediate success drawing the latest car
models for magazines, brochures and billboards. He captured
the chrome-dappled allure of the auto industry: happy Americans
enjoying themselves at picnics and on golf courses and accompanied
by their elegant cars.
"Others
might portray a married couple dressed formally in suits dazzled
by a car on the street, or a woman in a fancy ball gown swooning
over a car in a showroom, but Bernie's innovation was to put
the cars in real life situations with people in all kinds of
informal poses, having fun and even in some cases standing in
front of the car (heresy!)," illustration authority David Apatoff
wrote in an e-mail.
Several
top corporations in America took note of Mr. Fuchs's skill.
He relocated to suburban Connecticut in the late 1950s and became
one of the busiest commercial artists of the next 20 years,
working for businesses such as Coca-Cola and Seagram's, as well
as magazines including TV Guide and Look.
For
the publications, he created a range of illustrations, with
scenes from romance fiction and images that conveyed the grit
of athletes and the determination of presidents and civil rights
leaders. Mr. Fuchs often photographed his subjects and returned
to his studio to turn the images into illustrations. He said
his most challenging deadline story came in 1969, when Sports
Illustrated assigned him to cover the Rose Bowl in Pasadena,
Calif., and the Orange Bowl in Miami. He saw the Rose Bowl live,
lurking on the sidelines with his camera, and watched the game
in Miami on television. He finished six paintings in 36 consecutive
hours of work.
In
the course of a prolific career, he met many historic figures
of his era, including President John F. Kennedy, baseball player
Jackie Robinson, entertainers Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, and
cellist Pablo Casals, who, ailing at 93, nevertheless played
a Bach cantata for Mr. Fuchs at the musician's villa in Puerto
Rico.
Starting
in the mid-1970s, Mr. Fuchs had contracts to illustrate postage
stamps and children's books. His paintings, whose subjects ranged
from images of the Old West to the Longchamps horse races in
France, were exhibited in galleries worldwide. Jill Bossert,
editor of Society of Illustrators books, once described Mr.
Fuchs's skill: "His colors shine with the brilliance of stained
glass as if lit from within. His equine pictures rival Degas."
August
6, 2009: WHY Y Article & clip regarding the exhibit
Just came
across this
coverage of the exhibit by Peter Crimmins
of the WHY Y FM News and Information channel.
Dorian
Hannaway and Mark Tocchet
comment on Amsel's work, and the web page includes an abridged
audio version of the article.
July
23, 2009: So...who DID create that neat looking RAIDERS title
design?
During my recent interview
with The
Indycast,
host Ed Dolista and I wondered who it was that created the legendary
title design for RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. I had speculated
that it might have been Richard Amsel...but now, after all these
years, I finally have a definite answer, and wish to do my part
to get the word out.
The
logo -- whose typeface, like the film itself, has become so
commonly associated with action and adventure -- was the product
of Mike
Salisbury, and the final coloring was done
by Willardson White.
When
I asked Salisbury if he wanted to comment on his work, he kindly
referred me to his book, I
Sold Sex! Drugs & Rock 'N' Roll,
which chronicles his career and many, many creative achievements.
I
wholeheartedly look forward to reading it.
From
his website:
Salisbury
is recognized by his peers as one of the leading talents
in American brand design and the man behind the imprint
on a multitude of diverse products from Halo-the world's
most popular video game, Michael Jackson's white glove,
Rolling Stone, Surfer and Playboy magazines, O'Neill and
Gotcha surfwear, Levi's 501 jeans (a brand that Salisbury
created) along with some of the world's most recognized
corporate branding and product design for companies like
Volkswagen, Suzuki, Honda and Hasbro--the biggest toy company
in the world.
His
work is everywhere in the motion picture industry. Mike
helped created marketing campaigns for over 300 movies including
Aliens, Jurassic Park, Romancing The Stone, Raiders of The
Lost Ark and Moulin Rouge. In the film The People vs. Larry
Flynt, Flynt defends the First Amendment based on a concept
Mike Salisbury created for Hustler magazine.
The
exploding boxing gloves that interpreted Rocky IV to the
world – a Salisbury image so hot it became the visual symbol
for the film that didn't need the title for identification.
This visual metaphor became Salisbury's most copied graphic.
George Lucas collects Salisbury's work and recommended him
to Francis Ford Coppola who used Salisbury imagery creations
in Apocalypse Now.
His
music industry work includes creating album covers for George
Harrison, James Taylor, Randy Newman, Rickie Lee Jones,
Ry Cooder, and Ike & Tina. Mike developed branding identities
for Blue Note Records, RCA, United Artists Records and PolyGram.
Mike has a Grammy for album design.
Very special
thanks to Pat dePoortere for solving this mystery, and
for directing me to Salisbury's site!
July
21, 2009: THE DARK CRYSTAL original art up for sale!
With
the opening of Comic-Con in San Diego this week, Illustration
House will
have a special booth featuring an extraordinary number of original
pieces -- including works from Al Hirschfeld, J.C. Leyendecker,
Bob Peak, John Solie, and even Theodor S. Geisel ("Dr.
Seuss").
Richard
Amsel fans will be excited to learn that one of the artist's
most popular and famous pieces ever created will also be up
for sale -- the stunning poster art for Jim Henson's beloved
fantasy film, THE DARK CRYSTAL!
I've been
wondering for years where this artwork has been, and hope that
it will go to a loving home. I'd buy it myself...but the $16,500
pricetag is quite a bit beyond what my budget will allow.
July
13, 2009: INDYCAST revisited!
My
follow-up interview with Ed Dolista for the
INDYCAST is now online! In it, I discuss more
about the art
exhibit, as well as the late artist's life, work,
and career.
Other
issues addressed include the current decline of movie poster
art, David Edward Byrd's lecture, the search for a long-lost
"RAIDERS" comp, Amsel's love of (and ambitions toward)
animation, and an unspoken rivarly with fellow poster artist
Drew Struzan.
CLICK
HERE
to listen to my new interview with the INDYCAST! (The previous
interview from last April can be found here.)
June 21, 2009: DEATH ON THE NILE sketches!
My friend
David Edward Byrd just sent me these scans of two long-lost
preliminary sketches Amsel did for the DEATH ON THE NILE poster!
The first of these (below left) presents an entirely different
alternate design from the one that was used (below right).
Thanks,
David!
__
May 24, 2009: AMSEL RECEIVES SILVER STAR AWARD
Michael
Amsel informs me that Richard has been awarded the University
of the Arts' SILVER STAR AWARD for outstanding alumni.
The announcement was made during the university's commencement
last Thursday, and is available for viewing as an
on-demand webcast.
May
12, 2009: THE ART OF BOB PEAK TO BE FEATURED IN UPCOMING EXHIBIT
Some
tangential "Amsel" news...and certainly something
to interest both poster artists and art admirers!
One of
the most imaginative and prolific illustrators of the 20th century,
Bob Peak revolutionized advertising in the film industry
and is considered the "father of the modern movie poster." His
work for such films as CAMELOT, MY FAIR LADY, SUPERMAN, EXCALIBUR,
STAR TREK I-V, and APOCALYPSE NOW possessed a signature style
-- and a painting technique that was very, very much his own.
In addition
to work in the film industry, Peak illustrated 45 covers of
Time Magazine - including the well-known portrait of Mother
Teresa, now featured in the National Portrait Gallery Smithsonian
Institution along with his paintings of Anwar Sadat and Marlon
Brando.
Next month,
Gallery Nucleus will feature a collection of Peak's original
artwork, in addition to a rare selection of iconic movie posters
and advertising work. This will indeed be a rare and exciting
opportunity to view in person, a massive retrospective into
the range and versatility of a 20th Century Master...an artist
who Richard Amsel himself greatly admired.
THE
ART OF BOB PEAK
June 6, 2009 - June 23, 2009
Gallery Nucleus
210 East Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
ph 626.458.7477
OPENING RECEPTION:
Saturday, June 6th, 7 - 11pm
Gallery
website: http://www.bobpeak.com/events/BP_WorldPremiereLA_2009.html
Artist's website: http://bobpeak.com
May
8, 2009: PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER REVIEW
It's sad
knowing that the exhibit will be coming to an end next week,
but Dorian Hannaway shared some happier news with me this morning:
a link to this
wonderful review by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
April
29, 2009: MORE NEWS COVERAGE OF THE EXHIBIT
Two news
items about the exhibit have popped up: first, a nice writeup
from Philadelphia
Weekly, and Dorian Hannaway's radio interview
this morning with Sirius
channel 109. (I'm trying to get my hands on
a clip of the broadcast -- can anyone help?)
April
26, 2009: AMSEL ORIGINALS UP FOR AUCTION
I've
been working like crazy to catch up on recent updates, and am
finally able to pass along this great news...
The
Illustration
House gallery in New York is auctioning
a small number of Amsel's original illustrations, including
some from the collection of Michael Amsel. Having spoken to
Michael and Illustration House president Roger T. Reed, I'm
happy to help spread the word so that would-be collectors may
seize this rare opportunity.
Reed
writes:
Most
visual artists tend to repeat themselves, in style or substance,
and this is only fair as they need to put food on the table,
and will be inclined to recycle that which was previously
successful. I have high respect for an artist who has the
courage to to perform without a safety net, and uses new
graphic devices, radical compositions, crazy materials,
and styles that draw upon all of the history of design.
As
a student of illustration history, I enjoy seeing that in
one picture, Richard is channelling Coles Phillips, and
in another, it’s Earl Moran. But it’s unfair to think of
him as an imitator; it’s more as if, faced with a blank
canvas and the challenge to reinvent his work yet again,
he took one of his heroes as a point of departure, but it
always led back to Amsel and his own radically fresh vision.
These
are some works included in the auction:
In
adding these pieces to my site, I felt it was important to distinguish
Amsel's personal portfolio and school projects from his "canon"
of official movie poster works. Therefore, Amsel's conceptual
illustrations for films such as Ryan's Daughter and Oliver!
will reside under a new MISC.
WORKS gallery page, which also includes
his book and magazine cover illustrations, and ads.
___
April
25, 2009: PHOTOS FROM THE EXHIBIT
I'm
happy to share some photos taken last week of the exhibit, its
preparation, and David Byrd's wonderful lecture. You can find
them on the newly created
THE EXHIBIT page, which
also includes information on the catalogs and archival prints
affiliated with the event.
David Edward Byrd
at the podium inside Hamilton Hall.
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April
23, 2009
Here I am helping to paint the walls
of the "Raiders room", part of the Richard Amsel
art exhibit that opened last week.
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I
soon hope to post some photos from the exhibit's opening last
week, as well as David Byrd's wonderful lecture. In the meantime,
enjoy this snapshot of yours truly from Monday, April 13th,
as I was helping to paint one of more elaborate areas of the
gallery. (I'm probably a mere 3 or 4 feet off the ground, but
grew nervous with each step up that wobbly ladder.)
Once
again, Amsel fan Scot Ryersson has unearthed a
little gem. This alternate image (below) of MURDER ON THE
ORIENT EXPRESS was taken from a CD cover for "Poirot Goes
to the Movies." Scot states that Amsel was asked to modify
Lauren Bacall's portrait for the
final poster.
Thanks
again, Scot!
April
21, 2009
This retrospective catalog is extremely
limited in quantity, and is the definitive resource on
Amsel's work.
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I'm
back in L.A. for three days, and already I'm terribly missing
the east coast. There's just too much for me to write about
in just one sitting; I'll be making extensive updates over the
next few weeks, including a new page specifically about the
exhibit, and a special auction of Amsel originals from Illustration
House.
In
the meantime, here are some significant happenings:
- The
Associated Press did a writeup on the exhibit, now circulated
everywhere from Kansas to Canada! Here's
a link to the article, as featured on Philadelphia's
The Journal-Standard.
- Art
and movie fans now have the opportunity to purchase special
ARCHIVAL PRINTS of Richard Amsel's famous illustrations
for:
- RAIDERS
OF THE LOST ARK (1982
rerelease)
- MAD
MAX BEYOND THUNDERDOME
- FLASH
GORDON
First
time available to the public, these beautiful, limited
edition of 1000 each, high quality, full color digital
prints are made from high resolution digital image files
color matched to the original illustration art and printed
using archival paper and inks.
Each
print measures 13" x 19", and costs $60.00 + shipping
& handling. (University of the Arts students receive a
discounted price of $35.00.) These are not reproductions of
the final movie posters, but of Amsel's original art
-- without the text and titles. CLICK
HERE for an order form.
- And
now...the definitive resource of the artist's work! To coincide
with the exhibit, The University of the Arts has produced
a special catalog, RICHARD AMSEL:
A RETROSPECTIVE (pictured above). This beautiful,
48-page book features color illustrations of highlights from
the exhibit, some of which have never before been published.
(Not even on this site!)
Also
included are personal tributes to Amsel (from such noted
celebrities as Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin), biographical
information on the artist, and a comprehensive list of all
his official movie posters and TV Guide covers.
You
can contact The
University of the Arts for more information.
April
11, 2009
I'm
literally halfway out the door to leave for the airport when
I checked my computer one last time, and found the "Indycast"
podcast now online.
CLICK
HERE to listen to my interview on the INDYCAST!
The
web podcast, a discussion of all things Indiana Jones, was a
lot of fun to do. Host Ed Dolista and I spoke on the phone for
nearly an hour, and unfortunately I was on the verge of a sneezing
fit for a large part of that time.
Did Ed edit my sneeze out as promised? You'll just have
to listen to the show to find out...
April
10, 2009
Two
days ago The Philadelphia Daily News featured an article
about the Amsel exhibit. You can read it HERE.
April
4, 2009
David
Edward Byrd just sent me this flyer regarding his upcoming lecture
at the Amsel exhibit:
Also,
last week I was interviewed by Ed Dolista for the
INDYCAST, to discuss Richard Amsel's life and
career. The web podcast, a discussion of all things Indiana
Jones, is expected to air around Saturday, April 11, and because
I'll be heading out to Philadelphia that week for the exhibit,
I won't be able to update the site until my return. I'll also
be doing a follow up interview in May, so there's more to come.
March
27, 2009
Fellow
fan and collector Scot Ryersson kindly provided me with some
images of Amsel's early work, including book
and album covers. Particularly impressive is Amsel's
drawing of Robert Redford for Argosy Magazine!
(Right.)
I'm
sure there's more to be found from this period in the artist's
career, so if any of you find anything, please...pass
it on!
Thanks
again, Scot, for your wonderful emails.
March
4, 2009
With the
exhibit soon to open, I'm looking to update and improve this
site as much as possible. This includes:
February
26, 2009
Why
oh why did I never hear about this before? Jerry Alten's
book THE ART OF TV GUIDE, from Bangzoom Publishers --
a definite must-read for any admirer of Amsel's work, and certainly
for any fan of illustration. From AMAZON:
Jerry
Alten started as Art Director of TV Guide in 1967, and for
almost 50 years he engaged the world's greatest illustrators
to provide the artwork for the pages of the widest circulated
magazine in the world. Unlike entertainment magazines today,
the digest-sized magazine relied almost solely on illustration,
and in many cases, it helped to support the careers of many
of the illustrators. Artists ranged from Norman Rockwell
to Charles Addams, Edward Gorey to Andy Worhol. Jerry Alten
provides a view behind-the-scenes of a magazine that featured
some of America's greatest celebrities, the artist who painted
them, and the interesting, highly entertaining, and sometimes
outrageous interactions between subject, artist, and art
director. The book is also a nostalgic look at the people
who helped make the medium what it is today.
February 25, 2009
The University
of the Arts' website now features a press release touting the
upcoming exhibit, and some never before published sketches that
are to be part of the showcase. To help them get the word out,
I've redirected this site's former domain name (www.RichardAmsel.com)
to the university's address. Here's
their press release:
'Richard
Amsel: A Retrospective' at Rosenwald-Wolf Gallery
Native
Philadelphian and university alumnus created “Raiders of
the Lost Ark” and many other movie posters
PHILADELPHIA
(February 13, 2009) – To mark the acquisition of the more
than 500-piece collection of illustrations and sketches
of alumnus Richard Amsel, The University of the Arts will
present "Richard Amsel: A Retrospective” at its Rosenwald-Wolf
Gallery (333 S. Broad St., Philadelphia) from April 15 –
May 14.
The
exhibition showcases more than 50 works from the world’s
largest collection of Amsel sketches and illustrations.
The show includes preliminary studies for “Raiders of the
Lost Ark” and “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” movie posters;
Bette Midler album covers and posters; TV Guide cover portraits
of Elvis Presley, Lucille Ball, Johnny Carson and Katharine
Hepburn, and never-before exhibited or published sketches
providing a glimpse into Amsel’s process – from initial
sketches through finished art. The exhibition and catalogue
have been made possible by a grant from the Richard C. von
Hess Foundation.
A
1969 graduate of the Philadelphia College of Art (now The
University of the Arts), Amsel created some of the most
recognizable, iconic show business-related imagery of the
late 20th century before he died in 1985. His “AMSEL” signature
can be found on posters for more than 30 major motion pictures,
close to 40 TV Guide cover illustrations and numerous album
covers and concert posters.
A
close friend of Amsel’s and the director of Late Night Programming
at CBS Television in Los Angeles for 15 years, Dorian Hannaway
donated the collection and designated it as a teaching resource
for the university.
“I
believe University of the Arts students will be inspired
by seeing Richard’s original work,” Hannaway said. “My hope
is that it will educate future generations of artists. I’m
grateful that the university is preserving his art as well
as maintaining the legacy of one of its famous alumni.”
Once
catalogued and conserved, the collection will be made available
to scholars and researchers of illustration, film, television
and American pop culture of the 1970s and ’80s. Ultimately,
the retrospective will be made available to travel to other
universities, libraries and museums.
The
staging of the retrospective is a collaborative effort among
University of the Arts Museum Studies students and faculty
and entertainment business professionals. Joe Stewart of
the Emmy Award-winning Shaffner/Stewart team, set designer
for “Friends,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Rachael Ray,” designed
the multimedia environment housing the exhibit.
The
University of the Arts is the nation’s first and only university
dedicated to the visual, performing and communication arts.
Its 2,300 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate
programs on its campus in the heart of Philadelphia’s Avenue
of the Arts. The institution’s roots as a leader in educating
creative individuals date back to 1868.
February 22, 2009
Maya
Foo, a researcher at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery,
recently discussed Richard Amsel's portrait
of Bette Midler at a Face-to-Face
portrait talk. It makes
for an interesting listen, though Foo commits the near unforgivable
sin of referring to THE STING as a sequel to BUTCH
CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID! (She clearly didn't see either
films.)
CLICK
HERE
to listen to Ms. Foo's lecture (8:35).
For more
information on the National Portrait Gallery, you can visit
their official
website.
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