Abrams Books’ massive new art book collection puts the iconic movie artist Doug Chiang at the focus and it’s an easy choice for Geek Pick of the Week.
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If you roll the clock back almost 10 years ago (sheesh!), you may remember Abrams Books’ incredible Art of Ralph McQuarrie two-volume set. This Fall, Abrams is back with a similar tome (same style, slipcase, and everything) that puts the spotlight on artist Doug Chiang. If we think of Ralph McQuarrie as the visionary behind the look of the original Star Wars films, there’s no denying Chiang serves in the same role for pretty much all of modern Star Wars—from the Prequels to the Sequels and everything in between.
While the galaxy far, far away is definitely what most fans will recognize his work from most, Chiang has had a long and varied career in the film industry. His visual influence can be felt in any number of iconic franchises from Terminator, to Alien, Avatar, and a number of major theme park attractions. In short, if you’re a Sci-Fi movie fan of the last several decades, you’ve undoubtedly seen Chiang’s work in action.
That’s a big part of what makes this dual-volume set so neat. It’s not solely focused on his Star Wars work. In fact, the entire first book is dedicated entirely to his career outside of it and it’s crazy how comprehensive this thing gets. More than just highlighting his career achievements, The Cinematic Legacy volume also serves as a biography of sorts. We get details on Chiang’s early life, getting insight into how he developed his love for art and the things that influenced him.
It also showcases some of his EARLY stuff that he made for magazines/newspapers, things with no connection to his ultimate influence on film. By the time the book gets to the films he worked on, it feels like we’ve seen Chiang grow into the the artist we’re familiar with. It’s wonderful to see those early drawings and seeing how he developed his unique style and approach to Sci-Fi.
As that first volume dives deeper into his professional work, I was amazed to see how many movies—and theme park rides—he’s been a part of. And I’m talking about movies I love deeply and regularly watch. I just had no idea he was part of the concept art behind them. Discovering he was essentially the mind behind the liquid metal T-1000 in Terminator 2, specifically the iconic freezing/reforming sequence blew my mind. Not to mention finding out he helped design stuff for Death Becomes Her.
I was also amazed at how much work he’d done on the gaming side of things along with theme park rides. It’s just an insane body of work, and this book does a fantastic job of spotlighting them. More so, we get some insightful comments from the man himself about his thought processes behind certain projects and experiences in bringing them to the big screen.
This extends to the second volume, which is all about Star Wars. This volume is also in depth and fairly extensive. It’s neat to learn more about how he came onto the Prequels (he was already part of ILM), and the way he approached trying to bring an entirely new era to the franchise, while retaining the classic feel fans knew. It also brings some interesting bits of info about how he laid the foundations for the future of Star Wars in general and his continued influence on how the galaxy far, far away looks on the screen.
The authors bring plenty of great insight and history behind everything. Again, it feels comprehensive in a way that not only puts a spotlight on Chiang’s talent on the paper, but in the way he approaches building out these fantastical worlds. This makes it a great resource for fans of filmmaking in general and seeing how crucial the concept art phase is to these kind of productions—and how it extends into every phase of bringing a movie to life.
Of course, the big highlight of these tomes are the art pieces on display. The ultra-wide pages, with nice thick paper that won’t rumple as you flip through it, allow for seriously high-res images. Some of them even span both pages, so you can really appreciate the detail and expertise (even if the big line in the middle is less than ideal).
More importantly, there’s a big variety of images chosen. Everything from simple, early sketches, to fully rendered portraits for both art pieces you’re likely familiar with and some never before seen. It makes these volumes fun to just flip through, in that coffee table style. I would caution you, however, to avoid leaving it on an actual coffee table unless it’s very sturdy. This thing is HEAVY.
In short, this two-volume set is as amazing as we’d all hoped when it was first announced. It not only serves as a fitting companion to the Ralph McQuarrie set, but shows how integral Chiang has been to all of modern Sci-Fi cinema. Working as both a tribute and biography, this manages to feel like a definitive look into the life and career of one of the most influential movie artists around.
It’s a beefy tome, coming in around $275, but anyone who loves filmmaking or Star Wars would absolutely love to find this waiting for them under the Christmas tree this year. Doug Chiang: The Cinematic Legacy (Volume I) & The Star Wars Legacy (Volume II) is set to arrive on December 2nd, so better get your pre-orders in now!
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