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Empire 30th Artwork Collection: “I Love You…I Know”
Hands down, one of the most memorable lines from the entire Star Wars saga is the exchange between Han Solo and Princess Leia in Empire‘s carbon-freezing chamber: “I love you…I know.” The lines, spoken amid the inferno-like setting of the scene, resonates like few others in the Star Wars saga, and was an essential addition to the Empire Strikes Back 30th Anniversary Artwork Collection.
LucasArts’ own Amy Beth Christenson has captured this pivotal moment for the ninth entry in the series, titled, appropriately enough, “I Love You…I Know.” Available exclusively at StarWarsShop, this print is limited to just 100 pieces.
We asked Christenson a few questions about why she chose this particular scene from Empire:
When you’re not illustrating scenes from a 30-year-old movie, what’s your day job?
Illustrating scenes from a 30-year-old movie! Sort of. I’m a concept artist/art director at LucasArts, so my day job for the last ten years has been designing characters, vehicles, and environments for the Star Wars universe. I was very excited to have the opportunity to take part in this series, because I’ve been a fan of Star Wars since I can remember, and Empire in particular is one of my first memories.
Why this particular scene from Empire?
This is my favorite Star Wars scene for several reasons. First of all, because of the memorable quote…”I love you… I know.” That is one of the single greatest romantic exchanges in all of cinema, in my book. But also, I love it because of the overall tension. It’s about the only time in any Star Wars movie that so many big players are in one location at the same time, but without any major confrontation going on. It was a good opportunity to have one image with Boba, Vader, Han, Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO all present. And finally, I love the set design and lighting. It’s a bit of a departure from the other locations in Star Wars, and it creates a really striking mood.
Can you explain how this piece came together in terms of composition, color, etc?
I know that I wanted to work out a composition that had all of the major characters in it. I had some versions that were more dynamic, but I went for a more simple, flat layout in the end, because it was easier to read. I wanted Han and Leia to be the main focus, so I gave them the most visual real estate. I also wanted to capture a bit of that tension in the scene by keeping them slightly apart, either just before or just after the kiss. I also wanted to divide the image between the “good guys” and the “bad guys.” I kept Boba and Vader facing forward, because they are in control of the situation, while Lando and Chewie can only react to what is going on. The color and lighting was really just inspired by the movie set, I liked the drama of the lighting coming from below, and staying true to the vibrant colors of the scene.
Pick up “I Love You…I Know” at StarWarsShop today, and come back next month for the series’ tenth entry by Michael Fleming (rough comp below).
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