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![]() Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years Text by Gregory Hildebrandt Jr (Watson-Guptill, $24.95, 132 pages plus poster insert, paperback, 2001.) In the fall of 1975, Greg and Tim Hildebrandt burst into the world
of fantasy art with a calendar of their renderings of characters and
scenes from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Their
work was remarkable for its time in the way that And now, with the release of the first of the three much-anticipated Rings movies, it seems only fitting and proper that the art that brought fame and fortune to the Brothers Hildebrandt (as they identified themselves back then) should be made available for re-examination. Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years accomplishes this with vivid reproductions of the artists' work from that era. Certain Tolkien-heads and those yearning for fantasy nostalgia from the disco seventies will appreciate that. But the real worth of this book can be found in the text written by Greg's son, Gregory Hildebrandt Jr. While he relates an affectionate, anecdotal memoir of a youngster raised in a post-hippie artistic environment, he also gives the reader an insightful and detailed look into the creative processes of his famous father and uncle. Every one of the Hildebrandts' paintings in this volume is accompanied by the sketches and, where applicable, photographs of models used by the artists in its creation. ("The Polaroid camera was the greatest thing ever invented for artists with deadlines," comments Greg.) Opposite the reproduction of Gandalf Visits Bilbo, for example, is the original photograph of the artists' friend in the pose used for the wizard in the painting. The sketch of Bilbo's house and front property is mirror-imaged to the final piece, disappointingly without explanation. And here is where I have my only nit-pick with the book. The author seems to be too selective in giving us the creative insights of the artists. I was eager to find out why they had flipped their sketch for the painting. The answer is drowned in a sea of childhood memories. Yet these memories are warmly enjoyable and rarely inappropriate. Early in the book, the author remembers the time when, at age five, he unwittingly became part of Father Greg and Uncle Tim's creative process:
"Good, we were looking for a hobbit!" he shouted.
We learn throughout the text that the Hildebrandts selected models for their general body and face shape, not necessarily for specific features. And, as in most artistic communities of the seventies, there was no shortage of useful and willing friends and associates to choose from, including family members and, quite often, each other. Explaining their 1976 calendar painting, Return of the King, twin Greg says:
(The thought came to me after reading this quote that they're identical twins, so who could tell?) The brothers' thoughts and influences have been placed as quotes in large letters on almost every page of the book. Since the text consists of the author's recollections, the quotes are generally unrelated to each anecdote, but insightful to the process, or the influences behind each painting. Twin Tim:
And while the techniques might be mundane to other artists, the Hildebrandts guide the reader through the germination and development of the ideas for each painting to the final product as though s/he were a patron. Alas, in 1981 the twins severed their creative umbilicus and went their separate ways, each to pursue a career that best suited individual goals. Greg went on to illustrate covers for genre magazines and books, including a well received series of children's stories and fairytales. He also created artwork for collectors' plates by Lenox and the Franklin Mint. Tim created calendar artwork for TSR Games and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern. He also illustrated covers for Starlog and Amazing Stories magazines, as well as several books by authors such as Poul Anderson and Alan Dean Foster. In 1993 they reunited to take on several commercial projects. Today they operate a gallery/museum in Hopatcong, NJ, from which they sell their own works as well as those of other artists. Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years is a collection of classic fantasy art supported by a unique, insightful text. For me, though, it was the other way around. Because looking at these artworks again was like listening to an old Donna Summers record or watching a Charlie's Angels rerun; they're all tied inseparably to the bygone seventies. I, for one, was fascinated by the artists' explanations of how they developed their art back then. And how a young child took all of this extraordinary creativity around him as "normal". Regarding the calendar art, youngsters who're into the Rings movies will find it appealing in the main and fascinating at best. As for me, I already took this trip twenty some-odd years ago. Once was quite enough for me. On a personal note: Towards the end of the book there are various photographs of the Hildebrandts' artist friends who posed for the painting used on the cover of the book. One face was immediately recognizable, that of the art teacher in our local elementary school at the time my sons attended. When I phoned my older son (who happens to be the same age as Greg Hildebrandt Jr) to ask if he knew of this connection, he cavalierly told me that he did, indeed; that the Hildebrandts had been in to speak to his class on several occasions; and, like most grade-school children, he was neither totally aware of, nor impressed by, the renown of his class's guest speakers. It is a frightfully small world after all... |
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