ltspiers Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Ralph McQuarrie, the visual mastermind behind almost everything we see in any Star Wars movie or game, has become one with the Force. Amazing how some of the most popular film characters and scenes got their start in his head, including images from Battlestar Galactica, ET and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Everyone do yourself a favor and fire up a Google image search of this guy. Absolutely amazing. RIP Ralph McQuarrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallathantos Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Major bummer. When people think Star Wars, they often think only of George Lucas. We owe Ralph for just about every look at feel in the Star Wars universe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tekkoclarky Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Damn, just googled this guy. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joedivision Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Some of the first art I ever put up in my bedroom was his Star Wars concept art back when I was 7. I stared endlessly at the images and for a moment I really felt like I was in another place. Tis a sad day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faefrost Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Very sad. I was just watching the interview with him on the BD bonus disk this morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDTC Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 dude was HUGE for creating star wars. sad to see him go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kutulhu Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) I just logged in to post about his death. http://www.ralphmcquarrie.com/gallery_1/star_wars/empire/index.html Edited March 4, 2012 by kutulhu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBBP Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Without this man we may never would have gotten Star Wars. His art is what sold the movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkz Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Truly a great loss both to the SW community and the world of concept art. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faefrost Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 He was well known for being not just an amazing artist, but an incredibly nice guy who really respected the fans and lovers of his work. One recent story stems from his work on Battlestar Galactica. The original filming model of the Galactica had been acquired by a group seeking to restore it for public display. They ran into just one problem. The original landing bay that you saw on screen was actually a matte painting done by Ralph that sat inside the model. But the painting had long since gone missing. There were no good images of what it was supposed to look like. At a loss the restorers contacted Ralph asking of he had a saved photo or copy of the picture that they could use for the model on display. Instead of pulling out a copy for them he not only recreated and repainted the original matte by hand himself. He also made a matching but slightly different one for the opposite side hanger (which had never had an actual detailed landing bay. When filming they simply flipped the film to show the starboard hanger instead of the port). He figured since the model would finally be displayed for 360 viewing it should have both hangers showing. The modelers were stunned and overjoyed when the package containing two new matte paintings and a very nice letter from RM arrived in the mail. Just a really nice guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBBP Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 He was well known for being not just an amazing artist, but an incredibly nice guy who really respected the fans and lovers of his work. One recent story stems from his work on Battlestar Galactica. The original filming model of the Galactica had been acquired by a group seeking to restore it for public display. They ran into just one problem. The original landing bay that you saw on screen was actually a matte painting done by Ralph that sat inside the model. But the painting had long since gone missing. There were no good images of what it was supposed to look like. At a loss the restorers contacted Ralph asking of he had a saved photo or copy of the picture that they could use for the model on display. Instead of pulling out a copy for them he not only recreated and repainted the original matte by hand himself. He also made a matching but slightly different one for the opposite side hanger (which had never had an actual detailed landing bay. When filming they simply flipped the film to show the starboard hanger instead of the port). He figured since the model would finally be displayed for 360 viewing it should have both hangers showing. The modelers were stunned and overjoyed when the package containing two new matte paintings and a very nice letter from RM arrived in the mail. Just a really nice guy. Great story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
covu Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Everytime I see any of Ralph McQuarrie's art, it makes me wish I became an artist instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DjSinestro Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Glaringly Brilliant artist. Wonderful human being and the reason why Star Wars looks the way it does. Thank you for everything Ralph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vecke Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) One of my good friends, when he heard about this, immediately said, "He made a galaxy far, far away close enough to reach out and touch." I think that sums it up pretty well. As an artist, writer, and all around tool for Star Wars, I'm really saddened by this news. Some other statements since his passing: George Lucas: ""Ralph McQuarrie was the first person I hired to help me envision Star Wars. His genial contribution, in the form of unequaled production paintings, propelled and inspired all of the cast and crew of the original Star Wars trilogy. When words could not convey my ideas, I could always point to one of Ralph's fabulous illustrations and say, 'Do it like this.'" On his website (I love this): "There's no doubt in our hearts that centuries from now amazing spaceships will soar, future cities will rise and someone, somewhere will say... that looks like something Ralph McQuarrie painted." RIP, Ralph. Edited March 4, 2012 by Vecke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Direach Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Thank you so much for bringing George Lucas' vision to visual life, Mr. McQuarrie. None of what we know as 'Star Wars' would exist without you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcheprime Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 RIP ralph and may the force be wit you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltimateKrucible Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 (edited) Yeah... sad news. All the worlds we're playing in began with him.... There's an example of his excellent imagination on the BBC website - a picture of the bounty hunters, including Boba Fett, who appeared in Empire. Amazing to see that such iconic characters came from one painting. You can see it here Edited March 4, 2012 by UltimateKrucible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agamemnon- Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Bump for respect. RIP Ralph McQuarrie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MackumDog Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 Certainly without this mans work Darth Vader would not have been the iconic dark evil character he was in the films, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atreiya Posted March 4, 2012 Share Posted March 4, 2012 I loved his work in Star Wars - sad news indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunazen Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 (edited) One of my good friends, when he heard about this, immediately said, "He made a galaxy far, far away close enough to reach out and touch." True Someone put together a beautiful tribute to him. http://youtu.be/c6QX4UWOi04 RIP Ralph McQuarrie. Edited March 5, 2012 by Lunazen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grania Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 *waves goodbye* The man had an amazing talent and did superb work during his lifetime - we should all be so lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darthsnowdon Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 RIP Ralph McQuarrie, you brought my child hood to life. the galaxy got a little bit duller today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gEddeh Posted March 5, 2012 Share Posted March 5, 2012 Thanks Ralph. If it was not for your drawings, George Lucas could've never convince 20th Century Fox to invest in his movies! Know that your legacy will live on for so many years to come! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMightyGarth Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 This man built the dreams of my childhood, my favourate memories and the things i will one day share with my children. Rest in peace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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