The poster dates back to the early 19th century, and since its early days with the work of Henry Toulouse-Latrec, it has continually evolved. From the Art Nouveau period of Alphonse Mucha and Henry van de Velde, to the age of Erté and Art Deco, to Andy Warhol and pop art, to today’s Shephard Fairey and his contemporaries, the poster has become the leading form of art for the Modern Age -- both respected in artistic circles, and appreciated worldwide by the commercial masses.

"I love that they cast Tina Turner in the movie," Joel Ulster says. "She's tougher and stronger than Mel Gibson. He's just got a big mouth." It's hard for me, at this stage, to know exactly how much I'll be able to cover in the final cut of the documentary. Certainly peoples' personal remembrances of Richard Amsel, and comments from other artists will remain the focus. But in keeping with the film's tagline, other themes I hope to address concern how the art of the illustrate

I first created the Amsel appreciation site in early 2008. Back then it was a struggle to find people who knew Richard Amsel personally. Over the years, the website's growing popularity was critical in helping me find people -- or, more accurately, having people find me, either through emails or Facebook posts on message boards about their remembrances . One such person was Gloria Leschen, who in late 2015 posted about her memories of Richard Amsel's early days in New York Ci

At long, long last, it's here: the documentary 24x36: A Movie About Movie Posters, Kevin Burke's loving valentine to movie art. David Byrd and I interviewed for the film three years ago, but haven't been able to see it until now. The film has been making the rounds at film festivals for the past year, and it's finally available on DVD, BluRay, and digital download. Kevin's documentary is primarily focused on how today's generation of artists have taken it upon themselves to r

At long, long last, it's here: the documentary 24x36: A Movie About Movie Posters, Kevin Burke's loving valentine to movie art. David Byrd and I interviewed for the film three years ago, but haven't been able to see it until now. The film has been making the rounds at film festivals for the past year, and it's finally available on DVD, BluRay, and digital download. Kevin's documentary is primarily focused on how today's generation of artists have taken it upon themselves to r

A lot of different subjects have been discussed during my interviews for the documentary. I'm not yet sure how they will fall into place, or how much time may be given to each of them. But John C. Attle was an important figure in two of my interviews -- including David Layton, who shared with me this long lost little treasure: Amsel designed the poster from a photograph by Ken Howard. (I'm not sure what this poster is dated; I presume the early to mid 1970s.) This was in addi

Admittedly, I've been putting so much time into the documentary that updates to this site have been lacking. I don't want to have to double up on posts between two websites, so I encourage you to check out www.richardamselmovie.com for updates and news pertaining to the film -- which also includes a lot of Amsel trivia. (For example, my recent interview with Spiros Angelikas sheds some light on the very first poster for RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK.) For the time being, this site

Since filming my first interview nearly two years ago, I've kept a list of people to thank within the end credits of the film. I have yet to make an exact count, but it's gotten pretty freaking long so far. To those of you who've supported the project -- be it financially, emotionally, by making personal referrals, by spreading good word of mouth, or by volunteering your time and energies -- I can't thank you enough. I was thinking of listing some people here in this post, bu

I remember, as a kid, thumbing through a 1984 edition of ILLUSTRATOR IN AMERICA at my local library. It was a massive, oversized coffee table book that I ate up, written by the late Walter Reed. Reed was a champion of illustration -- as well as an artist, historian, collector, and art dealer -- and I feel his was an important voice in helping the art form gain some long overdue legitimacy and respect. I was saddened to learn of his passing in 2015. His son, Roger, has carried

“Do you mind if I smoke?” Spiros Angelikas asks me, politely. His voice is smooth, smoky, calm, and assured, with a thick but decipherable, distinguished Greek accent. His pose and style remind me of a cross between Aristotle Onassis and that “Most interesting man in the world” guy from the Dos Equis beer commercials. “No, not at all,” I answer, smiling back. I remind myself that this is his home, after all, and the man should feel free to do as he damn well pleases. I abstai

It’s almost impossible to overstate how greatly our modern conceptions of fantasy art have been shaped by the work of the Brothers Hildebrandt. The dynamic duo of Greg and Tim Hildebrandt brought mythical creatures and otherworldly heroes to vivid, fanciful life in a style not seen since the days of Maxfield Parish. Their work for The Lord of the Rings, Marvel and DC Comics, as well as a poster for a little film called STAR WARS are as iconic as their source material. I first