A Brief Look: Matt Taylor’s ‘Captain Marvel’

DETAIL of 'Captain Marvel' (Regular Edition) by Matt Taylor

There is no need to know the movie, the character, or even the universe she evolved from, that, at this point in time, is fifty-eight years deep with an ever-growing lore. UK based illustrator Matt Taylor‘s poster for Marvel’s 2019 film Captain Marvel is a brilliant introduction to the character brought to life by actress Brie Larson. The focus of the illustration is Captain Marvel herself, there is no plot here — just pure character through mood and composition. The poster appears boundless. Taylor pushing the internal napalm of Captain Marvel beyond the paper itself. Taylor’s Captain Marvel cannot be contained by the 24″ x 36″ canvas.

Taylor has mastered composing with radiant color, building layers of various intensity until the canvas becomes volcanic, and with Captain Marvel he delivers a poster that is an immediate burn of the retinas. He balances the brilliance of his pale yellows with the grounding nature of blue with a thread of red, weaving through the waves of blue and yellow, on fire and bleeding through the cracks. Taylor’s illustration is a study of energy — he’s given it form and focused it on our heroine until he’s lifted her off the paper — aloft.