Goodbye to Drew Struzan, he also designed historical album covers
He passed away last October 13th, at the age of 78, Drew Struzanthe American illustrator mainly known internationally for his cinema-related works. Considered the greatest author of film posters of the second half of the twentieth century, the artist also linked the beginning of his career to music by creating covers of some historical albums.
Universally known for drawing some iconic posters for as many cult films such as “Star Wars” (“Star Wars”), “Back to the Future” and “Blade Runner”, Struzan has in fact collaborated with artists of the caliber of the Beach Boys, Bee Gees, Earth, Wind & Fire and Alice Cooper.
The sad news of his passing was given with a message signed by his historic collaborator Greg Aronowitz and shared on the official Instagram account dedicated to the artist, which reads: “It is with deep sorrow that I must tell you that Drew Struzan left us on October 13th. I think it is important that you know how many times he expressed to me the joy he felt knowing how much you appreciated his art.” In another statement, signed by the family after his wife made it known last March that Struzan he suffered from Alzheimer’sit was written: “Drew was a force of nature. Like a whirlwind, he could not be stopped, tamed, or manipulated. His power never diminished. This disease, this particular disease, took his breath away. He could no longer speak his language out loud.”
Born March 18, 1947, in Oregon City, Struzan was 18 years old when he enrolled in ArtCenter College of Design, then located in West Los Angeles, in 1965. After his university years and studies, during which he became aware of the fact that he wanted dedicate yourself to illustrationalso for reasons of economic stability, Drew Struzan remained in Los Angeles and a trip to an employment agency got him a job as an artist at the design studio Pacific Eye & Ear. Here he linked his early works to the history of music, starting to design album covers under the direction of Ernie Cefalu, appreciating the creative aspects offered by the dimensions (12×12″) of record packaging. Over the next five years he created covers for a long series of artistsalso signing works linked to albums that later became historic. Among the artworks created by Drew there are – for example – “LA (Light Album)” by Beach Boys“Main Course” dei Bee Gees“Memphis” by Roy Orbison“Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” by Black Sabbath and “Open Our Eyes” by Earth, Wind & Fire.
Early in his career, Struzan also illustrated the album cover “Welcome to my nightmare” by Alice Cooper from 1975, which the US edition of “Rolling Stone” would later include among the 100 classic album covers. Subsequently, together with a friend with experience in the film industry, Struzan founded a small company, “Pencil Pushers”, continuing a collaboration that lasted eight years. It was around this time that Drew perfected his distinctive style for posters and acquired his first mastery of the use of the airbrushan instrument that would later establish him as a master. His first film poster works began appearing in 1975.
