Hildebrandts

The Art of the Brothers Hildebrandt, by Ian Summers This is one of the first books I ever got through the Science Fiction Book Club, so that puts it about 1979 or 1980 or so. Besides being a look at their art, lives, and techniques, I have a memory attached to it that I always think of when I look at it. In high school I never used my locker; I just carried my books with me everywhere. I was usually pretty careful about what I brought to school, especially if it was anything fancy, but this time I had to bring the book with me, to lovingly gloat over it and show it off to my few friends, especially Mr. Fleming. Well, this was the one day that I actually played basketball well in PE, stealing the ball from Gary Williams time and again behind his back. Finally, he got pissed off and wanted to fight me. Instead I tucked his head under my arm and dragged him over to the coach. I explained he wanted to fight, and that I didn’t. After class, while we were waiting for the bell, he came over to where I was waiting with my pile of books, the Hildebrandt tucked into the pile, and tried to start the fight again. Maybe I would have, but I was worried about what might happen to my book, so just stood there, goofily shaking my head and refusing until the bell rang and I could be on my way. Again, one of the few books I wrote my name in. Ranking: Essential File Code: Art. Hardback.

The Brothers Hildebrandt: A Book About the Artists. Published in Honor of Their Exhibition July 9, 1978 An interview with Tim and Greg, conducted by Mark Feldman, illustrated both in color and grayscale. This book belonged to John, who ordered it from one of the many sci-fi magazines we used to read. It got some water damage from when he had his books on the same shelf as his aquarium. Later on, he gave it to me. A Xerox from its back page, “Castle #2 1/2”, used to hang on the boys’ room wall for years. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Art. Softcover.

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years, Text by Gregory Hildebrandt, Jr. (Includes Pullout Poster); and Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years, Expanded Edition. Text by Gregory Hildebrandt, Jr. (Includes New Pullout Poster). Oh, how I love Hildebrandt Tolkien. It goes right back to my first times of Tolkien enthusiasm, and is at its best (say, in their picture of Smaug) art indeed. Looking at it now with a cold, critical, aged eye, I can of course see some jarring elements that decades of Tolkien iconography has made look old-fashioned. The Hildebrandts loved old movies, of course, and sometimes the costuming has that Hollywood, Robin Hood, feel. These books include not only their finished works but penciled studies and commissioned works, and later pictures that Greg produced alone. The first edition had a poster “The Siege of Minas Tirith II” that I detached and is now in the Archives elsewhere [Found it in ‘Pictures by J. R. R. Tolkien.’]. The new edition has the poster intact. Ranking: Essential. File Code: Art. Archive. Soft Cover.

From Tolkien to Oz: The Art of Greg Hildebrandt by William McGuire Focusing on the work of the surviving Hildebrandt Brother. I think Greg is the superior artist of the twins. I have been engaged with the Hildebrandts since Briesemeister Middle School, when Daryl Fleming had a Tolkien calendar that he showed in Drama class. That makes their art contemporaneous with my first interest in Middle Earth, as I believe is echoed in some of my own drawings, especially that of the Green Knight that copies their book cover for the Vera Chapman novel of the same name. This book spans decades of his work, from calendars to book covers to illustration. Ranking: Essential. File Code: Art. Biography. Hardback.

The Fantasy Art Techniques of Tim Hildebrandt, by Jack E. Norton A continuation of my infatuation with the Hildebrandts, focusing on the dead brother’s art. I believe that their collaborations were best, and I find Tim to be the less finished artist; there is a sort of blunt and blurry look – if you look too closely. And his pen and ink work I find just ‘tinny’. I can’t say I have brought myself to actually READ the book. Ranking: Keeper. File Code: Art. Softcover.