Passages

Via Jason Bennion I see that Tim Hildebrandt, one of the famed Brothers Hildebrandt, has died.

That's sad news. The Hildebrandts have been big names in the fantasy art for decades, and their most famous work is practically iconic: their poster for Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. (I wrote a bit about this poster here.)

I read an interview with the Hildebrandts years ago -- in Starlog, if I recall correctly -- in which they came off as, well, happy hippie types. They spoke of a very strong artistic bond that existed between them, to the point where one would rest from working on a painting while the other simply picked up right where the other had left off. They also wrote a book, if I remember correctly, called Urshurak. I suppose I should track down a copy one of these days. It always looked pleasantly pulpy.

My own artistic tastes in fantasy tend toward people like Alan Lee, but I've long admired the work of the Hildebrandts.