Illustrator Noriyoshi Ohrai

Poster for ”The Empire Strikes Back“ by Noriyoshi Ohrai

Via Spoon & Tamago, I learned about the passing of Japanese Illustrator Noriyoshi Ohrai just a few days ago at age 79.

The iconic artist was an art student dropout who began his career in 1962 illustrating book covers and newspaper advertisements. His big break came when he was 45 years old. An illustration he did of the movie Star Wars for an obscure Japanese science fiction magazine made its way to the hands of George Lucas, who liked it so much he commissioned Ohrai to create the universal poster for the movie’s sequel: The Empire Strikes Back.

Poster for ”Godzilla vs. Space Godzilla“ by Noriyoshi Ohrai
Covers for ”Star Wars“ Comic Books by Noriyoshi Ohrai
Covers for ”The Empire Strikes Back“ Comic Books by Noriyoshi Ohrai
Covers for ”Return of the Jedi“ Comic Books by Noriyoshi Ohrai

Amazing work. More at spoon-tamago.com.

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