The Comfort of Strangers (Sovereign Pictures, 1990), Original Final Key Poster Art by Bob Peak....

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The Comfort of Strangers (Sovereign Pictures, 1990), Original Final Key Poster Art by Bob Peak. Bob Peak's artwork for Paul Schrader's The Comfort of Strangers pays homage to the work of Gustav Klimt, showing stylized nude representations of the central characters, overlapping yet isolated. The Comfort of Strangers is the capstone of Peak's long career. It is his final published work, and its image ended the program when Peak received the "Key Art Lifetime Achievement Award," presented by The Hollywood Reporter (now part of the Clio Awards). Peak was only the second recipient of this high honor in the then-21-year history of the event, following Saul Bass into the elite club of the most significant figures in movie poster design. In many ways this artwork reflects the full arc of Peak's career. The vignette of Venice features line work reminiscent of his earlier style, evoking West Side Story and My Fair Lady, while the Gustav Klimt-inspired composition recalls his work on Camelot. But the imposing, elegant nude figures also show the influence of the fine art work he began pursuing in his late career.

The design captures the hypnotic and menacing mood of the psychological thriller. In the film, based on the novel by Ian McEwan, a British couple, Mary (Natasha Richardson) and Colin (Rupert Everett), are vacationing in Venice. Lost in the city's winding streets they meet charismatic and unnerving Robert (Christopher Walken), and his wife Caroline (Helen Mirren). At first, Mary and Colin are charmed, but over time, the mood is replaced with one of dread and violence. At once dreamlike and claustrophobic, the film shows Venice not as a city of romance, but a city of menace, isolation, and psychological dislocation within the waters of its canals. Peak evokes this emotional state through the positioning of the central figures, and the eerie emptiness of the locations which surrounds them. There is a deafening quiet to the art, and a haunting beauty. It's proof that at the end of his career, The Father of Modern Movie Poster Art was creating work that set a new standard for the genre.

Executed in mixed media on board, this is signed B. Peak lower right in the canal and displays without issue. It measures 39" x 31", beautifully framed to 50" x 42". Not examined outside of frame.

Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Treasures from the Bob Peak Collection.