Details
FOSS, Christopher "Chris" F. (b. 1946)
Shot-up Pirate Ship Spilling Spice
FOSS, Christopher "Chris" F. (b. 1946)
Shot-up Pirate Ship Spilling Spice - concept art for Alejandro Jodorowsky's movie adaptation of Dune
Circa 1975

Encre et acrylique sur carton, avec collages et aérographe
495 x 650 mm, encadré
Monogrammé en bas à droite

Montage of line drawing with ink and acrylic paint on art board, with use of collage and airbrush
495 x 650 mm, framed.
Monogrammed lower right

« Pour débuter Dune, je voulais faire mieux que le plan séquence d’Orson Welles dans La Soif du Mal (1958), raconte Jodorowsky. Le plan devait traverser tout l’univers. En parcourant plusieurs galaxies, la caméra finissait par se poser sur des pirates de l’espace, à l’abordage d’un vaisseau pour récupérer sa cargaison». Cette séquence est la première du légendaire storyboard dessiné par Moebius. Son croquis est basé sur la formidable étude de Chris Foss. Héritage de son enfance à Guernesey et de ses escapades marines, ses « vaisseaux évoquent délibérément certains animaux », ici un poisson aux couleurs vives, capable de se fondre dans son environnement : « le vaisseauest comme blessé mortellement, il saigne de l’épice. Il était camouflé comme un poisson, se fondant parmi les astéroïdes, et invisible tant qu’il restait immobile ».

Publications :
- Reproduit en couleurs dans le storyboard ; Dune. Suresnes : imprimé par les ateliers industriels de reprographie Aviaplans, [circa 1975] (titre complet : Michel Seydoux Presents Alejandro Jodorowsky's Dune from Frank Herbert's Novel. Design by Jean Giraud. Machines by Chris Foss. Special Effects by Dan O'Bannon. Dialogue by M. Demuth and A. Jodorowsky) ;
- 21st century Foss, Dragon's Dream, 1978 ; reproduit en couleurs p.17 ;
- Chris Foss, Imogene Foss, Rian Hugues, Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss. Londres : Titan Books, 2011 ; reproduit en couleurs p. 21.
- Affiche japonaise du documentaire Jodorowksy's Dune, de Frank Pavich (2013) ;
- This is Alejandro Jodorowsky. Vol.2. Livret en japonais, 1er avril 2014 (reproduit en couleurs).

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Lot Essay

FOSS, Christopher "Chris" F. (b. 1946)
Shot-up Pirate Ship Spilling Spice - concept art for Alejandro Jodorowsky's movie adaptation of Dune
Circa 1975

Montage of line drawing with ink and acrylic paint on art board, with use of collage and airbrush
495 x 650 mm, framed.

“Dune, my Dune, starts with a long shot. I admire the long shot of Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil, where the camera goes and goes through the street -this fantastic, big, long shot. And then I wanted to start Dune with a long shot -better than the long shot of Orson Welles (laughs). I wanted to go further. And then, all the shot is traversing the whole universe. The camera traverses all the galaxy, and in the traversal of the galaxy you see pirates robbing a convoy of spice” (Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jodorowsky’s Dune, 2013).
This long, sequence shot is indeed what’s shown of the very first page of Moebius’ legendary storyboard, with some panels drawn after Chris Foss’ wonderful original painting. “I’ve got this sort of memory, of coming up with the pirate spaceship over a weekend. It’s been mortally wounded, and all its spice is spilling out of it, and it’s got a camouflage, which matches the asteroids. It was just like a fish : if it stayed very still, no one could see it. I remember seeing that very clearly in my head, you think you’re looking at a rock just here under the sea, and suddenly something moves, and you realize this is an object “(Chris Foss, Jodorowsky’s Dune, 2013).

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