Book Review: 'Star Wars Art: Concept'

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Cover art: Early concept painting of Darth Vader facing off against "Deak Starkiller" by Ralph McQuarrie. © 2013 Henry N. Abrams (Abrams Books) and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)



On October 15, 2013, New York City-based Abrams Books (a subsidiary of France's La Martinière Groupe) published Star Wars Art: Concept, a 176-page hardcover volume dedicated to concept paintings created by Lucasfilm's artists for various Star Wars projects, including films, TV shows, and video games such as The Force Unleashed and the canceled Star Wars 1313. 

 In the tradition of Star Wars Art: Posters and Abrams ComicArts' Star Wars: The Original Topps Trading Card Series – Volume One, this coffee table art book is heavy on art (125 illustrations) that was used in the pre-production stage of many Lucasfilm Star Wars presentations, including the first six films, the animated segment of the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 
Art for the Nelvana/Lucasfilm TV series Droids (left) and the animated segment of The Star Wars Holiday Special, including an early concept illustration of Boba Fett (right).  © 2013 Henry N. Abrams (Abrams Books) and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL)
From Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston to Doug Chiang, Ryan Church, Iain McCaig, Erik Tiemens, and the next generation of animation and video-game artists, Star Wars Art: Concept collects, for the first time ever, the very best Star Wars conceptual artwork. As curated by George Lucas, the artwork that helped bring the Star Wars Saga to life is revealed in all its glory, featuring pre-production drawings and paintings from the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, the TV shows, and the video games, including an exclusive preview of artwork from the highly anticipated 1313. Spanning the years from 1975 to the present, Star Wars Art: Concept is a fascinating look at the process of conceptual design. From pen and paint and paper to the digital realm, the result is the creation of breathtaking iconic worlds, vehicles, and characters that successive generations have embraced and made their own. - Publisher's blurb, Star Wars Art: Concept

Another two-page spread. This one features art for Attack of the Clones by Ed Natividad (left) and Ian McCaig (right). © 2013 Henry N. Abrams (Abrams Books) and Lucasfilm Ltd. (LFL) 

My Take

 I've been a Star Wars fan for over four decades. My first art book purchase was Ballantine's 1979 trade paperback edition of Carol Titleman's now-classic The Art of Star Wars, a tome that I admit I bought more because it contains the fourth revised draft of George Lucas's script for Star Wars than I did for the art. Nevertheless, that book's treasure trove of storyboards, production paintings, posters, and even fan art was one of the catalysts for my decision to become a writer, and many of the paintings for Star Wars (especially those by the late Ralph McQuarrie) from The Art of Star Wars are in Star Wars Art: Concept as well.

To be sure, this entry in the Star Wars Art series covers almost 40 years' worth of projects Lucasfilm and other entities (including Nelvana and LucasArts) have worked on, including some that are included in the Expanded Universe (the Ewoks and Droids TV shows; The Force Unleashed video game duology and the canceled Star Wars 1313 game) but are not in the official canon.

Keeping that in mind, don't buy Star Wars Art: Concept thinking that you're going to get a comprehensive collection of concept art from the Lucasfilm Archives. At 176 pages (and with only 125 color illustrations), Star Wars Art: Concept is only the tip of the iceberg, figuratively speaking.

Don't expect a lot of written analysis or artists' commentary in the book, either. There is, of course, a foreword by Joe Johnston, the director of Jumanji and Jurassic Park III whose career in the film industry began in 1975 when he joined Lucasfilm as an illustrator and storyboard artist.  Concept artist Ryan Church, who worked on all three Star Wars Prequels as a concept art director and has also contributed his talents for such films as Avatar, Star Trek, and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, wrote the preface, while his colleague Erik Tiemens provides the book's afterword.

As Yoda might say, "Insights these writers provide, but a text-heavy volume this book is not."

Unlike Star Wars Art: Posters, the mostly-horizontal orientation of the paintings in Star Wars Art: Concept calls for a coffee table-format book along the lines of the publisher's The Art of Star Wars series. Its trim size of 12 1⁄2 x 10 1⁄2  makes it compatible with such books as The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story and is a welcome addition to any collection of art or Star Wars-themed books.

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