Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (TCF, 1983), Screen-Matched Ewok Village Matte Painting Gift...

Description

Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (TCF, 1983), Screen-Matched Ewok Village Matte Painting Gifted by George Lucas. Magnificent original screen-matched matte painting depicting the Ewok Village on the forest moon of Endor. Executed in acrylic and oil paints on glass, the artwork is housed in its original stained wooden frame with wooden backing. The left portion of the composition includes a blacked-out area used for compositing live-action footage from the physical set with the painted environment. The artwork itself measures 29.5" x 72", framed to an overall size of 34" x 76.5". This sweeping matte painting serves as the establishing shot of the Ewok Village, home to the tribe of small, resourceful forest dwellers who shelter the Rebel heroes on Endor. The painting is seen on-screen following the capture of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), and C-3PO (Anthony Daniels)-the moment when the Ewoks mistake C-3PO for a deity in one of the film's most memorable sequences. The piece was created by matte artist Christopher Evans, who joined Industrial Light & Magic after being inspired by The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Evans began with a rapid acrylic underpainting to establish composition and color balance; once approved, he meticulously layered oil paints over the base to achieve the deep saturation, atmospheric lighting, and visual realism characteristic of ILM's groundbreaking visual effects work. In 1983, as Return of the Jedi prepared for its premiere, George Lucas encouraged Paul Del Rossi, CEO of General Cinema Theatres, to install the newly developed THX sound system at the Avco Cinemas in Los Angeles. Following the success of the installation, Del Rossi equipped three additional General Cinema locations with THX-making them the first public theaters in the world to feature the system. In gratitude for his support and partnership, George Lucas personally gifted this matte painting to Del Rossi in 1988. The artwork exhibits expected age and production wear, with scattered areas of paint loss, including one measuring 3.5" x 1" and another 1" x 1", along with minor spots of surface loss. These do not detract from the extraordinary visual impact or historical significance of this cinematic artifact. Provenance: From the collection of Paul Del Rossi. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions.

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