See Behind-the-Scenes Photos of ALIEN Concept Artist H.R. Giger

 

See behind-the-scenes photos of Alien with H.R. Giger.

The brilliant artist and concept designer Hans Rudolf "Ruedi" Giger has died at 74. H.R. Giger was born February 5, 1940 and died on May 12, 2014. He was a Swiss surrealist painter, sculptor and set designer who's worked on classic films like Batman Forever (1995), the unmade Dune by Jodorowsky and Species (1995). He won an Academy Award for "Best Achievement for Visual Effects," along with the special effects team, for his design work on the film Alien in 1980. He was born in Chur, Graubünden, Switzerland to a chemist father who encouraged him to abandon art as a "breadless profession." Because of this he got an architectural and industrial design degree and this strongly influenced his bio-mechanical designs. While Giger's work is legendary, his most widely known work was for the design of the creature in Alien which influenced the designs of all other interpretations.

Whenever we lose a great artist it's always hard to sum up his life in one short post. So, instead of focusing on his amazing artwork I thought I'd focus on his methodology. Here are some behind the scenes photos from the Alien film in 1979. He outlined the extremely difficult process of working on the film in his amazing book Giger's Alien. They show the master at work and you can see the intensity in his eyes.

Click on the images to enlarge

Dan O'Bannon and H.R. Giger

Here's one of his more famous paintings for the film:

See more of H.R. Giger's inspiring portfolio at http://www.hrgiger.com. For now, the site is only showing a letter from the Giger family that reads, in part:

"We are absolutely heartbroken over the loss of this loving husband, selfless friend, and supremely talented artist...In a career with so many star-studded highlights, it is only natural that many have mentioned his world famous brainchild, ALIEN, since the news broke this morning. It was certainly a creation which Giger prized, much as he took great pride in his collaboration with myriads of music industry and film artists, since he began his glorious journey as a world class painter, sculptor and designer. Our priority now is to support his wife Carmen Maria Scheifele Giger, and the extended Giger family, and ask that you respect our privacy during this time, so we may mourn the loss of our beloved 'Hans Ruedi'."

Click on the links if you want to see more of H.R. Giger's work or Alien on my blog.

What do you think of the photos? What do you think is the greatest achievement of H.R. Giger?

Official Alien Synopsis
"The terror begins when the crew of a spaceship investigates a transmission from a desolate planet, and discovers a life form that is perfectly evolved to annihilate mankind. One by one, each crew member is slain until only Ripley is left, leading to an explosive conclusion that sets the stage for its stunning sequel, "Aliens." Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton
Cinematography by Derek Vanlint
Production Design by Michael Seymour
Release date: May 25, 1979
©  Copyright  20th Century Fox, Brandywine Productions. All rights reserved

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