SUBJECT

Padmé Amidala from the STAR WARS saga, rendered in the art nouveau style, inspired by the work of Alphonse Mucha.

Character © Lucasfilm Ltd.


BACKSTORY

In December of 2007, just before Greek Art class, I showed my friend Joetta a promotional photo from STAR WARS Episode II: Attack of the Clones; this one: [link] . She immediately mentioned that it looked like an Alphonse Mucha print. I loved the idea so much (as we are both huge art nouveau fans), that I took it up as a personal project. She definitely gets the dedication--This one's for you, Joetta!

So, while I was doing research in the library, I came across this print, "La Fleur": [link] , and it clicked.

The drawing phase was long and assiduous (including a completely scrapped draft), but my final linework was pretty pleasing. [link] , although it's still not as neat or orderly as I would have liked it to be.

After that, it was scanned into the computer and went to colouring (Photoshop CS3, done on school computers after classes)--even longer and more assiduous!

Also posted in a sepia "antiqued" tone: [link]


SYMBOLISM

I knew I wanted to incorporate symbolism into this piece right away, from all three prequel films. The most obvious place to do so was in the hyperbola (styled as a mosiac, a Mucha-inspired move); here are repeated images of the japor pendant given to her by Anakin [link] , and a version of the Naboo crest (this rendition is the one on the handmaiden battle dress belt buckle from Episode I) [link] . This represents Padmé's ambivalence between love and duty. The purple and red recall Amidala's royal costumes--think of the wrapped purple veil worn on the return to Naboo and the deep crimson of her queenly regalia.

The background gradient is meant to call up the colours of the Water Gown [link] , her Episode III funerary dress. Apropriately, the white flowers you see in the corners are those which were strewn in her hair during the funeral [link] . There are four of them, to represent the four members of the Skywalker family , the mother, the father, the daughter and the son.

The red roses, aside from being an obvious symbol, were present at the Varykino Lake Retreat [link] , in stone urns that lined the walkways. And the orange borders are the sunset of Padmé and Anakin's wedding [link] .

Minor Edit, April 2009: I did a bit of shading.