Epilogue – Painted Movie Poster Art Series – Feature #6: “Return of the Jedi” 35th Anniversary

Series Overview:
– Epilogue Art Series is a mixed-media series by artist Damon Kardon honouring classic horror/sci-fi films and the creative promotional art that was presented to the public at the time of their premiere dates. All films represented in this art series celebrate a milestone anniversary of the films’ release and the impact they have made on pop culture history.

Kardon has chosen specific films that influenced him over the years through their distinct tone, cinematography and direction. He is expressing his emotions felt from viewing each film through his art process, painting key images and colors that also represent the story of each film. Each poster design starts as a painting and then is manipulated in Photoshop.

As a kid who loved going to the movies (and also enjoyed the classic painted poster designs of Drew Struzan ), Damon has dreamed of bringing his art style into the world of interpretive movie posters. The term “Epilogue”, in film, represents the final scenes in which a recap or narrative of what happens to the characters is given. It can be represented in a montage, which is how Damon interprets these works he is creating.

Sneak Preview :
– Be sure to enhance your viewing/reading experience by watching the original movie trailer for Return of the Jedi, released on May 25th, 1983 via 20th Century Fox.

About the Painting:
– What can I say that is anything new about the greatest film trilogy ever? Personally, this movie means a lot to me because it was the first movie I remember seeing in a movie theater. Maybe it was the popcorn or the Ewoks, but the movies have been my “happy place” ever since. Ian McDiarmid scared the crap out of me as Vader’s Master. I remember having nightmares of him shooting lightning bolts from his hands to defeat me. With this painting, I tried to include all of my favorite memories from the movie into this design. I really felt a lot of pressure with this one since some of my favorite works has been the original Star Wars painted posters.

I probably will never paint an Empire Strikes Back painting because a copy of that one by Drew Struzan is hanging on my wall. I can’t come close to that one, and it is my favorite of the trilogy. Return of the Jedi was released May 25, 1983 by 20th Century Fox. I was 6 years old. It transported me to a galaxy far, far away and I don’t feel like my mind has returned since. – Damon Kardon

Feature #6: “Return of the Jedi”:
– Check out Damon’s creative process by scrolling through the photos below.

“Return of the Jedi” – Original Poster Art from 1983:

The Series & Future Artwork:

– Coming up in Feature #7… “They Live”
– Feature #5… “Vertigo” 60th Anniversary
– Feature #4… “The Dark Knight” 10th Anniversary
– Feature #3… “2001: A Space Odyssey” 50th Anniversary
– Feature #2… “Rosemary’s Baby” 50th Anniversary
– Feature #1… “Christine” 35th Anniversary