Roger Kastel, Creator of Film Posters and Book Covers
Roger Kastel spent over seven decades working as a professional artist. His artwork is part of Americana.
Robert Kastel was a highly talented artist who created exceptional cover art for a range of fictional works, including romance novels. His illustrations for these novels were particularly noteworthy for their impressive attention to detail and skillful use of color. However, his biggest claim to fame was his work on movie posters, having created some of the most iconic and memorable pieces in cinematic history.
Roger Kastel Biography
Roger Kastel was born to Karl and Anna Kastel in White Plains, NY, on June 11, 1931. At fifteen, he landed his first paid job as an industrial cartoon artist. After attending high school, he commuted to Manhattan to attend classes at the Art Students League.
When the Korean War came out, Kastel enlisted in the Navy for four years. He was stationed in Hawaii and California. There he met Grace Trowbridge, who would be his wife for 66 years until his death.
After the war, the couple moved to New York, the epicenter of the American art world. Kastel did freelance work for various art studios and ad agencies throughout New York while continuing his education at the Arts Students League, studying under the best teachers of the era.
He produced his first paperback book cover for Pocket Books in the mid-1960s, marking the start of a long-standing relationship with the publisher. He worked steadily throughout the years. Kastel built a respected career as an illustrator for a diverse range of publishing companies, many of them the very selective New York houses.
The Kastel family settled in the suburbs with their children in 1970. By the end of the decade, Kastel’s posters for several prominent films would make him a global pop culture mainstay. In addition to posters, he illustrated many book covers during his seven-decade-long career.
Hollywood Blockbusters
Roger Kastel’s cover for the paperback edition of Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel, Jaws, and the poster for the 1976 film made Kastel a household name. Universal Studios, who produced the Jaws film, was so impressed by Kastel’s cover that they used the illustration for the movie poster.
Not only was the motion picture of Jaws a blockbuster success, but Kastel’s poster became a huge bestseller. This was revolutionary, as studios traditionally used posters to advertise the movies, not sold as merchandise.
The poster perfectly captures the essence of Jaws, featuring a giant great white shark emerging from the ocean’s depths while a lone swimmer appears helpless in the foreground. The piece was an integral part of the film’s marketing campaign.
Despite the poster’s popularity, Hollywood was stingy—both in acknowledging Kastel’s role in the importance of the impactful marketing campaign and financially compensating the artist for his efforts.
Mr. Kastel said that Bantam had credited him with helping with book sales. But Universal Studios, which produced the “Jaws” film? Not so much, Mr. Kastel said.
“I’ve never heard from anyone in the movies,” he told The Post. “What really bothered me was that they used the image for merchandising. You see that poster on everything.”
NY TIMES: ROGER KASTEL OBITUARY
Kastel would reach even greater heights when he was asked to paint the poster for the long-awaited sequel to Star Wars—sorry, A New Hope—The Empire Strikes Back. Any Star Wars lover will tell you how iconic this poster is. It was an homage to the romantic Gone With the Wind poster.
Kastel became a highly sought-after artist in the film industry for his works. Other film posters he created included Dr Faustus, The Great Train Robbery, The Long Goodbye, and The Poseidon Adventure. His unique style included the use of bold colors, vibrant composition, and a keen eye for detail, earning th artist numerous accolades.
Books Are Better
Stardom would not prevent Kastel from producing more fine art for covers. In fact, painting covers was more lucrative and “less of a hassle” than producing movie posters.
In 1975, Kastel created the poster and cover art for Issue #1 of the legendary Doc Savage comic book series.
Kastel would go on to create many covers for numerous fictional genres. He designed multiple covers for Jackie Collins’ works, including Hollywood Wives.
Kastel was an innovator in paperback art design. In the late 1970s, he was among the first artists in the genre to utilize the stepback cover design. One example is his work for Janet Dailey‘s Touch the Wind.
Kastel worked for all the big-name publishers, such as Avon, Simon & Schuster, Bantam, Harlequin, and Berkley. He spent over seven decades as a professional artist, illustrating about 1,000 book covers for various houses.
Legacy
Kastel retired from the commercial art industry in 2013 when he and his wife moved to Milford, MA. He continued to paint as a fine artist, exhibiting his work at art shows and galleries.
Roger Kastel passed away on November 8, 2023, at age 92. He left behind his wife of almost seven decades, a daughter, and a son. Kastel was also survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.
His work in movie posters and book covers across various genres, notably romance, has left an indelible mark on the art and design world. His creative genius was showcased in his versatile style, from the suspenseful Jaws posters and the romantic Star Wars imagery to his cover illustrations that effectively encapsulated the essence of each story.
Roger Kastel’s legacy lives on in the cultural impact of his art, inspiring future generations and remaining a staple in American pop culture history.
Roger Kastel Romance Covers
LINKS
- Roger Kastel Official Website
- Wikipedia
- My Roger Kastel Pinterest
- Goodreads
- Paperback Palette Blog: Roger Kastel Much More Than Jaws
- Magster.com: Matthew Kastel Talks About The Art of Roger Kastel
- Wellesley Society of Artists: Roger Kastel
- Comic Art Fans