Chesley Bonestell

Chesley Knight Bonestell Jr. (January 1, 1888 – June 11, 1986) was an American painter, designer, and illustrator, best known for his realistic-looking paintings of space exploration. He created images of future spacecraft and scenes set on moons and planets in the Solar System. His work helped inspire the American space program and appeared in popular magazines and books from the 1940s into the 1970s.

Physicist Sidney Perkowitz said that Bonestell portrayed planets, stars, and spacecraft with stunning realism. He worked with experts like rocket pioneer Wernher von Braun, combining science and art in his pictures. American space policy expert Howard E. McCurdy noted that Bonestell had more impact on American culture about space than any other artist. Noted astronomer and science communicator Carl Sagan said he didn’t know what other worlds looked like until he saw Bonestell's paintings of the solar system.

Because of his artwork from the 1940s through the early 1960s, and his skill in showing what space might look like, many call Chesley Bonestell "the father of modern space art." His style influenced science fiction art, illustration, and even movies.

Early life and education

Chesley Bonestell was born on January 1, 1888, in San Francisco, California. His parents were Chesley Knight Bonestell and Jovita Ferrer. Jovita’s father was Manuel Y. Ferrer, a musician from Mexico.

Chesley went to several schools, including Clement Grammar School, Dickensen's Academy, St. Ignatius College Preparatory, and George Bates University School. After finishing school in 1904, he worked at the Bonestell Paper Company for his grandfather, Louis H. Bonestell. For three years, he also took evening classes at the Hopkins Art Institute.

Career

Chesley Bonestell began his career as an artist in 1905 when he painted what he saw through a telescope at an observatory. He later studied architecture and worked on important buildings, including the Chrysler Building in New York City.

Bonestell became famous for his detailed paintings of space and planets. His work inspired many people to dream about space travel. He created paintings that showed what it might look like to stand on the surface of moons and planets, which helped shape how people imagined space exploration.

Drawing from his experience in films, Bonestell used his skills to paint scenes of space travel. He worked on famous science fiction movies and created artwork for magazines and books. His paintings appeared in popular publications and helped many visualize the future of space travel.

Bonestell also worked on designs for spacecraft and space stations, often collaborating with experts in rocket science. His artwork showed detailed and realistic images of what these vehicles might look like.

In addition to space scenes, Bonestell painted images of Earth’s history and possible future disasters. He also created artwork showing famous landmarks and historical buildings, helping people imagine places from the past and possible wonders of the future.

Personal life

Chesley Bonestell left architecture school at Columbia University and returned to San Francisco in 1910. The next year, he married his childhood friend Mary Hilton, and they had a daughter named Jane. However, they divorced in 1918, and Bonestell moved back to New York City.

In 1920, Bonestell went to England and began working as an illustrator. There, he met and married opera singer Ruby Helder. They traveled together in Italy before moving to New York City in 1927. After the Wall Street crash of 1929, Bonestell returned to Berkeley in 1931 and worked on the Golden Gate Bridge.

In 1938, Bonestell started creating special artwork for movies in Hollywood. Sadly, Ruby passed away that same year. He remarried Mary in 1940, and soon began the space-themed artwork that made him famous. In 1962, he married Hulda Von Neumayer Ray, a photographer and friend. Due to changes in Berkeley during the late 1960s, Bonestell moved to Carmel, California in 1968, where he continued painting until his death in 1986 at the age of 98.

Legacy

Chesley Bonestell was honored around the world for his work in space art. He received awards like a bronze medal from the British Interplanetary Society and a place in the International Space Hall of Fame. His book The Conquest of Space even won an award in 1951.

Bonestell's paintings, especially "Saturn as Seen from Titan," became very famous. This painting showed what Saturn might look like from the moon Titan and was carefully drawn with correct details. Although later space missions showed Titan looks different, Bonestell's work remains important for its art and history. His paintings are kept in famous places like the National Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

An asteroid was named after Bonestell in 1979, and a crater on Mars was named for him in 1997. His artwork continues to inspire many people who love space.

Books illustrated by Bonestell

Chesley Bonestell illustrated many exciting books about space. Some of his famous works include The Conquest of Space from 1949 and Across the Space Frontier from 1952. He also worked on Conquest of the Moon in 1953, which showed amazing scenes like spaceships landing on the Moon and explorers traveling across lunar plains. Other books he illustrated include The Exploration of Mars (1956), Rocket to the Moon (1961), and The Solar System (1961). His artwork helped people imagine exciting adventures in space and inspired many to learn more about our cosmic neighborhood.

Films with artwork by Bonestell (abbreviated list)

Chesley Bonestell created artwork for many famous films and documentaries. Some of these include:

• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
• Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
• Swiss Family Robinson (1940)
• Citizen Kane (1941)
• The Magnificent Ambersons (1942)
• Destination Moon (1950)
• When Worlds Collide (1951)
• War of the Worlds (1953)
• Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) Unauthorized use of Bonestell art from the book, The Conquest of Space
• Conquest of Space (1955)
• Challenge of Outer Space (1955) US Department of Defense short documentary film
• Men into Space (TV series, 1959–60)
• Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future (feature-length documentary, 2018)

Documentaries

Chesley Bonestell was featured in a 1985 documentary called The Fantasy Film Worlds of George Pal, directed by Arnold Leibovit.

A full-length film named Chesley Bonestell: A Brush with the Future came out in 2018. This documentary, made by Douglass M. Stewart, Jr., talks about Bonestell's life and his amazing artwork. It includes interviews with famous science fiction writer Ray Bradbury and special effects creator Douglas Trumbull, along with other artists and experts. The film won several awards at film festivals.

Uses in other media

In 2017, the first album of vocal tracks by Sun Ra, called The Space Age Is Here to Stay, was released. The cover art was approved by the Bonestell family.

In an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation titled "Tapestry", a young Captain Picard had an adventure at the Bonestell Recreation Facility, a spaceport named after the artist. This place was first mentioned in an earlier episode called "Samaritan Snare".

The noise rock band Shellac used artwork by Bonestell for their 1998 album Terraform, and the Bonestell family allowed this too.