Magic; The Gathering ‘Golgari Grave Troll’ 2005

Greg Hildebrandt painted this ‘Golgari Grave Troll’ with what looks like oil paint, maybe for a card game, and the image is just bursting with action. I can imagine Hildebrandt getting into the zone, maybe with some heavy metal playing in the background, really feeling the power of this grotesque creature. The brushstrokes are almost frantic, especially in the troll's menacing claws and that open, screaming mouth. Check out the way he’s built up the texture, like the troll's armor is almost jumping off the surface. I imagine that the blue background must have been built up in thin washes and gentle glazes. There’s something about the way he’s handled the paint – so raw and full of energy – it reminds me of some of the early German Expressionists, those guys were really trying to get at something primal and untamed. You know, painting is like having a conversation with all the artists who came before you. Hildebrandt may not have been thinking about those Expressionists but they are both tapping into something deep. The troll's aggression becomes a channel for feelings that are hard to put into words.