Farewell, Leo Dillon

[filkertom]

If you read the 1970s Pyramid paperback editions of Harlan Ellison, not to mention a whole lot of other books and record albums over most of the past fifty years, you knew the art of Leo and Diane Dillon.

Great sadness, as Leo Dillon passed away earlier this week at the age of 79. Our condolences to his companion and collaborator, Diane, and their family and friends.

For a reminder of how astounding and beautiful their work was, check out this blog archive.

Who are your favorite fantasy illustrators? (To differentiate from 19th- and early-20th-century illustrators such as Arthur Rackham, John Tenniel, and John R. Neill, and from graphic novels.) I'll never get tired of Bob Eggleton, Michael Whelan, and Olivia de Berardinis, but I have soft spots in my heart for Don Maitz, Stephen Hickman, and of course our darlings dhstein, hbruton, and ursulav. (And I know there are others who hang out here, and my brain SIMPLY ISN'T WORKING today, so remind me and send links our way so we can oooh and ahhh.)

Comments

[phecda]

My sister lent me her copy of Ellison's omnibus anthology, "Dangerous Visions" back when I was twelve. It was mind blowing, kind of like giving literary LSD to me. And to punctuate what I was reading was a Leo and Diane Dillon block print for every story. They weren't pretty illustrations -- they were heavy, ponderous things that added to the side show weirdness on many of the stories I was reading.

I also picked up a number of Ellison's other paper backs from this period, and this same style was a good compliment to his work.

[filkertom]

There were a whole lot of reasons that book was called Dangerous Visions, and the Dillons were part and parcel of the whole shebang. I actually didn't encounter that one first -- I got Again, Dangerous Visions from the SF Book Club. I believe I still have that copy, almost forty years later.

[markbernstein56]

Frank Kelly Freas, Michael Whelan, Don Maitz, Darrell Sweet, Tim Hildebrandt, many, many others, and that doesn't even touch the comic book artists.