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Alien: 40 Years 40 Artists
An artistic tribute to the sci-fi horror masterpiece Alien. 40 artists, filmmakers, and fans have been invited to contribute a piece of original art to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Alien in 2019.
Pieces range from alternative posters to gothic interpretations of key scenes. Sketches, process pieces, and interview text accompany each new and unique nightmare.
In addition to cover artist Dane Hallett—an Alien: Covenant concept artist—the contributors include Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, Sam Hudecki, and Tanya Lapointe; Star Wars concept artist and creature designer Terryl Whitlatch; and Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Jon Wilcox.
Pieces range from alternative posters to gothic interpretations of key scenes. Sketches, process pieces, and interview text accompany each new and unique nightmare.
In addition to cover artist Dane Hallett—an Alien: Covenant concept artist—the contributors include Blade Runner 2049 director Denis Villeneuve, Sam Hudecki, and Tanya Lapointe; Star Wars concept artist and creature designer Terryl Whitlatch; and Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, and Jon Wilcox.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 29, 2020
Als im Herbst 1979 ALIEN in die deutschen Kinos kam stand für mich sofort fest: das ist einer der besten, schockierendsten, gruseligste SF=Filme, die ich je gesehen hatte. Eine Meinung, mit der ich nicht alleine war, im Gegenteil; und als der Film in unserer Dorfvideothek endlich auf VHS zu leihen war, habe ich ihn mit einem Kumpel in den ersten 14 Tagen mindestens fünfmal angesehen, am ersten Samstag gleich zweimal hintereinander. Sowas schafft man am besten mit mehreren Literflaschen Cola und kiloweise Süßigkeiten, die heute allenfalls noch mit Warnhinweisen gekennzeichnet auf den Markt kommen.
Was nun eigentlich so ganz genau das besondere an ALIEN war, darüber haben wir damals nicht so sehr nachgedacht. Die grrruselige Soundtrack, das Alien, die taffe Ripley: es war einfach unglaublich spannend, pulstreibend, ungewöhnlich. Darüber, dass Sigourney Weaver hier einen ganz neuen Typus der Heldin darstellt, der seitdem aus den Kinos nicht mehr wegzudenken ist, haben wir nicht großartig nachgedacht, und auch andere filmkritische Betrachtungen lagen uns fern. Hammerspannend war der Film, ganz einfach, und bevor man ihn sah, wurde die Tankstelle geplündert zwecks Aufstockung der Vorräte an allem, was den Blutzuckerspiegel durch die Decke jagt.
2019, vierzig Jahre nach ALIEN, hat sich am Kultcharakter des SF=Horror=Schockers nichts geändert, allerdings gibt es inzwischen diverse Fortsetzungen, Comic=Adaptionen und Klonfilme.
40 Jahre ALIEN, 40 Künstler, die in diesem Buch Werke zeigen, die ihren Blick auf ALIEN präsentieren: mal detailreich und am Original orientiert, mal ironisch gebrochen; am Computer generierte lebensecht wirkende Gemälde und dann wieder cartoonhafte Darstellungen wie zum Beispiel von Katherine Kuehne:
Die Bandbreite der gezeigten Artwork ist groß, ebenso das Buchformat. Abwechslungsreich und unterhaltsam ist das Buch, und etliche Seiten sind nur deswegen nicht herausgetrennt und als Poster an der Wand gelandet, weil ich Buchverstümmelungen einfach nicht übers Herz bringe.
Ein sehr schöner Bildband, für Fans ein Fest!
Was nun eigentlich so ganz genau das besondere an ALIEN war, darüber haben wir damals nicht so sehr nachgedacht. Die grrruselige Soundtrack, das Alien, die taffe Ripley: es war einfach unglaublich spannend, pulstreibend, ungewöhnlich. Darüber, dass Sigourney Weaver hier einen ganz neuen Typus der Heldin darstellt, der seitdem aus den Kinos nicht mehr wegzudenken ist, haben wir nicht großartig nachgedacht, und auch andere filmkritische Betrachtungen lagen uns fern. Hammerspannend war der Film, ganz einfach, und bevor man ihn sah, wurde die Tankstelle geplündert zwecks Aufstockung der Vorräte an allem, was den Blutzuckerspiegel durch die Decke jagt.
2019, vierzig Jahre nach ALIEN, hat sich am Kultcharakter des SF=Horror=Schockers nichts geändert, allerdings gibt es inzwischen diverse Fortsetzungen, Comic=Adaptionen und Klonfilme.
40 Jahre ALIEN, 40 Künstler, die in diesem Buch Werke zeigen, die ihren Blick auf ALIEN präsentieren: mal detailreich und am Original orientiert, mal ironisch gebrochen; am Computer generierte lebensecht wirkende Gemälde und dann wieder cartoonhafte Darstellungen wie zum Beispiel von Katherine Kuehne:
Die Bandbreite der gezeigten Artwork ist groß, ebenso das Buchformat. Abwechslungsreich und unterhaltsam ist das Buch, und etliche Seiten sind nur deswegen nicht herausgetrennt und als Poster an der Wand gelandet, weil ich Buchverstümmelungen einfach nicht übers Herz bringe.
Ein sehr schöner Bildband, für Fans ein Fest!
May 8, 2023
A glorious book for any Alien fan.
Alien: 40 Years 40 Artists is a celebration of this wonderful film through, as the title suggests, the work of 40 artists. All are fans of the film and this in part makes the book great. The passion and enthusiasm of these artists for the film is mirrored in their work and in their words, which are really enlightening.
There is such a wide array of different inspirations and ideas in these commissioned art pieces and as an Alien fan myself it was really enjoyable to see that so many others enjoyed the nuances of the films production. It's a well known film to even casual sci-fi and horror fans but I really enjoyed reading the thoughts of others who have also taken a lot of time to think about the beauty of the sets, H. R. Giger's work, the metaphors and enchanting nature of such a devilishly savage creature and bleak environment.
It was also successful in opening my eyes to ideas and appreciations I hadn't considered before. It just shows what this film means to so many different people and what an impact it has had on many artists' careers and thought processes.
If you're unfamiliar with Alien or didn't enjoy the film, I'm sure you could still appreciate the artwork, which is at times fantastic (all the art is great but as always is subjective and different pieces will appeal to different people) but I have to say that this book will be appreciated so much more by readers who have watched the film and enjoyed it - Aliens fans will also have more to enjoy than the completely uninitiated.
At the end of the book see some cool concept artworks (admittedly I have seen most of them) and some great international posters (most of which I hadn't).
There are some absolutely sublime pieces in these lovely glossy pages, to the extent that it would be impossible to choose a favourite. If I might highlight a couple of memorable ones though; Jorge 'Wetza' Garcia has an interest in Mesoamerican art and has designed his artwork with this in mind, as if the Xenomorph had been encountered by ancient people and recorded in art. It's really striking. For the same reason I also really enjoyed Katherine Kuehne's cartoonist art, of which the colours really stand out; it would make a fantastic poster. There are so many others I loved for a variety of reasons.
Reading this book and poring over the artwork has made me want to watch Alien again which I will be doing at the first opportunity!
Alien: 40 Years 40 Artists is a celebration of this wonderful film through, as the title suggests, the work of 40 artists. All are fans of the film and this in part makes the book great. The passion and enthusiasm of these artists for the film is mirrored in their work and in their words, which are really enlightening.
There is such a wide array of different inspirations and ideas in these commissioned art pieces and as an Alien fan myself it was really enjoyable to see that so many others enjoyed the nuances of the films production. It's a well known film to even casual sci-fi and horror fans but I really enjoyed reading the thoughts of others who have also taken a lot of time to think about the beauty of the sets, H. R. Giger's work, the metaphors and enchanting nature of such a devilishly savage creature and bleak environment.
It was also successful in opening my eyes to ideas and appreciations I hadn't considered before. It just shows what this film means to so many different people and what an impact it has had on many artists' careers and thought processes.
If you're unfamiliar with Alien or didn't enjoy the film, I'm sure you could still appreciate the artwork, which is at times fantastic (all the art is great but as always is subjective and different pieces will appeal to different people) but I have to say that this book will be appreciated so much more by readers who have watched the film and enjoyed it - Aliens fans will also have more to enjoy than the completely uninitiated.
At the end of the book see some cool concept artworks (admittedly I have seen most of them) and some great international posters (most of which I hadn't).
There are some absolutely sublime pieces in these lovely glossy pages, to the extent that it would be impossible to choose a favourite. If I might highlight a couple of memorable ones though; Jorge 'Wetza' Garcia has an interest in Mesoamerican art and has designed his artwork with this in mind, as if the Xenomorph had been encountered by ancient people and recorded in art. It's really striking. For the same reason I also really enjoyed Katherine Kuehne's cartoonist art, of which the colours really stand out; it would make a fantastic poster. There are so many others I loved for a variety of reasons.
Reading this book and poring over the artwork has made me want to watch Alien again which I will be doing at the first opportunity!
March 17, 2021
As the title suggests, this book contains the artwork of 40 artists inspired by the iconic film Alien. There is usually a full page final image from each artist. On the opposite page are some preliminary sketches and a short piece of text in which the artist explains their inspiration. It is surprising how many of these artists first saw the film at a very young age which obviously had a huge effect on them. I found the artworks a bit hit and miss. I suppose it depends on your particular tastes. Well worth a look, though.
November 6, 2025
Muy interesante colección de ilustraciones inspiradas en el primer film de 1979. No todas tienen el mismo nivel de calidad ni los comentarios que las acompañan el mismo interés, pero el libro posee bastante consistencia al respecto. El tamaño del mismo y la calidad del papel acompañan por lo que en general es un bonito homenaje a la peli y muy recomendable para fans.
July 15, 2021
Very good, I hope to write a full review shortly
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews