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Title: Greg and Tim Hildebrandt: The Tolkien Years by Greg Hildebrandt, Tim Hildebrandt ISBN: 0-8230-5124-2 Publisher: Watson-Guptill Pubns Pub. Date: July, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 (10 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: charming
Comment: As any Brothers Hildebrandt fan knows, Greg and Tim's first Tolkein calender went on to become a worldwide bestseller. Some of the art,such as Unexpected Party or Gandalf with the Balrog was simply brilliant. Some of it looks dated today such as the hideous 1976 granny dress that Galadriel wears or the Sgt. Pepper mustache on Aragorn and the silly looking Fell beasts ridden by Nazgul who look like they're about to fall off at any minute. Oh well. Nobody got out of the 70s without some style howlers. Laugh at the funny stuff and be awed by the great.
One of the strongest and most charming elements of the book is the descriptions from Greg Hildebrant's son who was five when the brothers began working on the calenders. Young Greg's memories are full of wonder that's in keeper with what his uncle and father were working on. It's not all sweetness and light however, young Greg remembers that toward the middle of the project things got increasingly difficult in the studio. The pressures of the deadline, creative disagreements and artistic disappointments (Among other things the brothers didn't have time to do a huge battle scene that they'd planned) and the need to do separate projects are all mentioned.
Besides all three Hildebrandt calenders, the book has pictures of privately commissioned works (some of which are better than the orginal paintings), prelim sketches, and photos of the models. If you loved the work of the brothers or have just discovered it this will be a highly entertaining treat for you.
Rating: 4
Summary: Some great art, some not so great
Comment: I loved the Hildebrandts' art as a kid, and I appreciate being able to revisit it in this handsome volume. Engaging scenes, fabulous detail, vivid colors, and some of the best Tolkien paintings ever (the Ring of Galadriel, Old Man Willow, the Pillars of the Kings, Saruman and the Palantir). Their influence can be seen in many subsequent interpretations of Tolkien (compare the Hildebrandts' "Eowyn and the [left-handed] Nazgul" with the same scene in the 2004 Ted Nasmith calendar) and in much "generic" fantasy art.
But... Some of the earlier works have odd perspective (check out the chimney in "Gandalf visits Bilbo"). The hobbits look like children (the 5-year-old Greg Hildebrandt Jr. was the model). Shadowfax just fell off the carousel. Treebeard is a cartoon. Rivendell looks like a gingerbread house. Smaug appears to be made of plastic. The Nazgul fly around on rubber chickens (really, that's what they used as the model). And Aragorn's mustache! Perhaps it looked majestic in the 70s, but now it's just laughable.
It is interesting to see the sketches (some of which are superior to the final painting) and reference photos. The text is annoyingly told from the author's perspective as a 5-year-old model, but contains some amusing nuggets like the rubber chicken fell beast. I didn't think much of the pullout poster -- it's certainly not their best work. Still, on balance I would definitely recommend this book to anyone with an interest in Tolkien (unless you already have the calendars).
Rating: 5
Summary: Journey through middle earth like you've never done before!
Comment: I hadn't actually heard of the Hildebrandt brothers,but got this book for the simple fact that it bore the name of Tolkien.I opened it up and there it was,scenes I pictured in my head were now right in front of me,in richly painted acrylic colors,with moods of sadness,fear,peace,and courage.I recommend this book and give it five stars!Get it come on you know you want to....
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Title: The Tolkien Art of the Brothers Hildebrandt 2004 Calendar by Greg Hildebrandt, Tim Hildebrandt, Ronnie Sellers Productions ISBN: 1569066833 Publisher: Ronnie Sellers Productions Pub. Date: July, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.99 |
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Title: Myth and Magic: The Art of John Howe by John Howe, Peter Jackson, Alan Lee ISBN: 0007107951 Publisher: Harper Collins - UK Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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Title: TOLKIEN MAGNETIC POSTCARDS(tm) 12 Full-color Magnetic Postcards to Send or Save by Brothers Hildebrandt, The Brothers Hildebrant ISBN: 0762409533 Publisher: Running Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2001 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Realms of Tolkien: Images of Middle-earth by Ted Nasmith, Inger Edelfeldt, J. R. R. Tolkien ISBN: 0061055328 Publisher: Eos Pub. Date: 01 November, 1996 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: The Atlas of Middle-Earth (Revised Edition) by Karen Wynn Fonstad ISBN: 0618126996 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 10 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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