• More More

Search

My Account Logout
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • other
  • NEWS + FEATURES
  • VIDEO
  • FILMS
  • SERIES
  • INTERACTIVE
  • COMMUNITY
  • DATABANK
  • DISNEY+
  • More More
My Account Logout
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • youtube
  • twitter
  • other

ALL OF YOUR STAR WARS FAVORITES NOW STREAMING ON DISNEY+

All

  • Andor
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Books + Comics
  • Characters + Histories
  • Collecting
  • Creativity
  • Disney Parks
  • Disney+
  • Events
  • Fans + Community
  • Films
  • Force For Change
  • Forces of Destiny
  • Galaxy of Adventures
  • Games + Apps
  • ILMxLAB
  • In Pop Culture
  • Interviews
  • LEGO Star Wars
  • Lucasfilm
  • Merchandise
  • Obi-Wan Kenobi
  • Opinions
  • Quizzes + Polls
  • Recipes
  • Rogue One
  • Solo
  • Star Wars Celebration
  • Star Wars Day
  • Star Wars Rebels
  • Star Wars Resistance
  • Television
  • The Bad Batch
  • The Book of Boba Fett
  • The Clone Wars
  • The Force Awakens
  • The High Republic
  • The Last Jedi
  • The Mandalorian
  • The Rise of Skywalker
  • The Star Wars Show
  • Visions
{:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"} {:title=>"Events", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/events"}

“Star Wars is a Story for the World”: Artist Huang Hai on His Stunning Jedi Poster

March 22, 2021
March 22, 2021
StarWars.com Team

The artist discusses his recently released illustration -- and the meanings within.

A Jedi meditates. It’s an image we’ve seen before in film, animation, and comics. But not like this.

The ground seems to ripple in waves beneath the Padawan learner; his lightsaber levitates, pointing upward; peering through the windows before him, we see glimpses of X-wings and TIE fighters in battle, while columns cast imposing shadows. Taking a step back, we see that this Padawan sits not in a temple or dojo. Rather, the wall between him and these images of war takes the form of something much darker: the mask of Darth Vader.

"Star Wars is a Story for the World” by Huang Hai

This is the work of Huang Hai, a renowned Chinese poster artist who recently offered the world his interpretation of Star Wars with an illustration called “MASTER · Tribute." Released last month to mark the Lunar New Year, it’s a personal, spiritual piece, reflecting Star Wars themes but directly informed by Huang’s own culture. “I hoped to express the Force through the lens of Eastern aesthetics. To show it through traditional Chinese art forms other than ink painting and Chinese brush calligraphy,” he tells StarWars.com over email. “I meant to show what a Jedi represents in terms of Eastern philosophies. A Jedi embodies a kind of culture, and cultures, per se, are always interlinked.”

Huang is a prequel-generation fan. It was the stories of Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Padmé that captured his imagination -- a factor that could explain the use of a Padawan over, say, Luke or Leia or Rey as his poster’s central figure. “My first Star Wars experience was watching The Phantom Menace in 1999. It was so visually stunning that I started to devour all the Star Wars movies and stories that I could get my hands on,” Huang says. “I came to know about George Lucas and the Star Wars galaxy that is full of wonders.”

Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor).

He also, however, saw immediate connections to Chinese culture as he became a fan. And those links would ultimately come to influence his poster years later. “Jedi have a lot in common with Xia Ke, the Chinese knights in the traditional martial arts novels. Both fascinate me,” he says. With this personal and cultural connection, Huang took care to convey his feelings about Star Wars when he began work on his illustration.

“Honestly, it was not an easy journey. I spent four months pondering over what point of view I should come from to present the limitless galaxy of Star Wars. What elements best represent the Star Wars? Jedi? Lightsabers? Darth Vadar’s helmet? The Force? I hoped that I could come up with an original point of view to showcase the Force,” he says. “We finally zeroed in on one idea: ‘looking into oneself by looking into the Force.’ What it takes for a Padawan to become a Jedi Master is not one’s skill level, but his or her balanced control of the Force. In Chinese, we have a phrase, Zi Xing, meaning ‘introspection,’ which is akin to the concept we were pursuing.”

But when one looks at oneself, the reflection isn’t always pretty.

“This is why I chose to look into the Force from the inside of the helmet,” Huang says. “Facing the temptation from the dark side of the Force is a test that every Padawan faces. Isn’t it a test that everyone faces in real life? The Force is like the two sides of light. There is the dark side and there is the light side, and they always co-exist. It is how the universe always is.  What we should do is to find the balance in it.”

Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back

Regarding that balance and how Huang represents it, StarWars.com asks specifically about the role Vader’s grille plays in his poster. It forms windows to the outside world, but also casts oppressive shadows -- making it almost look like the bars of a jail cell.

“Great observation!” Huang says. “Does the grille indicate a prison cell or a room with window? For a Padawan, will he or she see despair or hope? Everyone will come to their own conclusion. Star Wars is a universal story. Wherever we come from, we can always relate to this story and arrive at an understanding of our own.”

Whatever meaning fans may take from his poster, Huang’s Eastern-influenced interpretation of the galaxy far, far away truly comes from the heart. “It’s my great honor to have this opportunity,” he says. “In my eyes, Star Wars is a story for the world. It’s a story that shows we share so much in common. It’s a story that every storyteller dreams to create.”

StarWars.com. All Star Wars, all the time.

Site tags: #StarWarsBlog

Star Wars Art Lunar New Year

Related Stories

  • {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"} {:title=>"In Pop Culture", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/in-pop-culture"}

    Wheel of Fortune Spins to the Galaxy Far, Far Away

    June 1, 2023

    June 1, 2023

    Jun 1

  • {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

    Jedi at 40 | Ben Burtt and Randy Thom on Crafting Ewokese, Jabba's Voice, and the Rancor's Roar

    May 25, 2023

    May 25, 2023

    May 25

  • {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

    Jedi at 40 | ILM Legend Thomas G. Smith on the Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

    May 25, 2023

    May 25, 2023

    May 25

  • {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

    Jedi at 40 | Fashion Illustrator Marilee Heyer on Her Stunning Leia Concepts

    May 24, 2023

    May 24, 2023

    May 24

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Celebration", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-celebration"} {:title=>"Events", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/events"}

    Start Your Shopping List with These 20 Star Wars Celebration Show Store Exclusives

    March 29, 2023

    March 29, 2023

    Mar 29

  • {:title=>"Star Wars Celebration", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/star-wars-celebration"} {:title=>"Events", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/events"}

    Plan Ahead with the Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023 Panel Schedule

    March 7, 2023

    March 7, 2023

    Mar 7

  • {:title=>"Interviews", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/interviews"}

    KANGDANIEL: K-Pop Star and Star Wars Fan

    February 24, 2023

    February 24, 2023

    Feb 24

  • {:title=>"Disney Parks", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/disney-parks"} {:title=>"Events", :url=>"https://www.starwars.com/news/category/events"}

    StarWars.com Fan Spotlight: Honeymoon Aboard the Halcyon 

    February 14, 2023

    February 14, 2023

    Feb 14

  • More From Star Wars:
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • SWKids
    • Terms of Use
    • Additional Content Information
    • Privacy Policy
    • Children's Online Privacy Policy
    • Your California Privacy Rights
    • Star Wars at shopDisney
    • Star Wars Helpdesk
    • Interest-Based Ads
    • Do Not Sell My Personal Information

    TM & © Lucasfilm Ltd. All Rights Reserved