Christopher Leith Evans
| Christopher Leith Evans | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 (age 62–63) Bremerton, Washington, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable work | "New York In the Light of Memory" |
| Movement | Realis |
Christopher Leith Evans (born 1954) (commonly credited as Christopher Evans or Chris Evans) is an American artist, digital matte painter and visual effects art director for major motion pictures. His best known film work includes Titanic, Return of the Jedi, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Ewok Adventure. His best known fine art piece is a 360 degree representation of the view visible from the top of the south tower of the World Trade Center prior to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 entitled "New York In the Light of Memory". In addition to his work for galleries and films, he has also painted archaeological reconstructions for National Geographic magazine.
Evans was born in 1954 in Bremerton, Washington, to Virginia Joan (née Bartholomew) and Alan Edward Evans. As a child, Evans was encouraged by his parents to express himself through drawing and painting. In high school, he joined the staff of the school newspaper, drawing cartoons and caricatures, writing and illustrating articles and taking photographs. Inspired by a teacher, Evans began to focus his academic career on art, traveling to Europe upon graduation and viewing classical art in museums in Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and England. While his family members supported his artistic endeavors as a youngster, when Evans applied to college he was encouraged to seek an education preparing him for a "real job". He began classes at UCLA as an art history major, but continued to paint in his free time. Upon showing his work to his art history professors, Evans was encouraged by them to change his major area of study, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting, sculpture and graphic arts. He continued his studies and received a Master of Fine Arts from the same university in 1980.
Shortly after college, Evans watched the film The Empire Strikes Back. Impressed by the film's portrayal of the Cloud City, he submitted samples of his work to George Lucas' company, Industrial Light & Magic, and was offered a position as a matte painter.
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