his color-drenched, oversized book of some 250 pages contains more than 300 examples of the art of this pioneer of accurate and inspirational space paintings. Ron Miller's biographical and critical essay on Bonestell runs through the first half of the volume, where all the illustrations are keyed to relevant portions of the text. The "Gallery" section makes up the latter half of the book, where Bonestell's paintings are presented in strict chronological order. A helpful appendix covers "Sources, References and Further Reading," including pointers to Web sites, while a comprehensive index offers easy lookups of both individual paintings and the people, places and events connected with Bonestell's personal history.
In Section 1 of his monograph, Miller briefly summarizes Bonestell's influence on generations of scientists and readers. Section 2, very substantial, harks back to the world of Bonestell's parents and grandparents (the Bonestell family established itself in San Francisco in 1849 and quickly rose to prominence). Here we encounter the young Chesley as he exhibits precocious artistic skills, acquires his education and goes to work for various firms, including several famous architects. (Bonestell played a large part in the design of the Golden Gate Bridge, among other significant projects.) We see Bonestell through two marriages and a stay abroad, while his talents mature.
The third section of text, equally rich, covers Bonestell's Hollywood career, when he became the highest paid and most respected matte painter of his generation, working on such films as Citizen Kane and The Fountainhead. Now begins Bonestell's real ascent, as he turns an amateur's interest in astronomy into the paintings that will make him famous. High-profile magazine assignments and book teamups with scientists Willy Ley, Robert Richardson and Wernher von Braun elevate Bonestell to the height of his public fame. Miller concentrates in Section 4 on the gallery and museum aspects of Bonestell's career. The final years of Bonestell's long life (he died in 1986 at age 98) are the focus of Section 5. Section 6 offers a retrospective view of the artist and provides some posthumous data. Section 7, the last, reveals Bonestell's technical methods and painterly philosophy.
Cosmic canvases that won a Hugo
Chesley Bonestell, the man who in the public mind came to be identified as the da Vinci of the conquest of space, claimed that his own favorite among his paintings was one called "The Engulfed Cathedral--A Fantasy." The painting in question is pure myth, featuring a grazing unicorn and a ruined amphitheater by the sea. It recalls the work of Gervasio Gallardo or Michael Whelan, not the hard-edged vacuum or orbital landscapes Bonestell rode to prominence. Of such contradictions was this creative genius made. Capable of producing gorgeous portraits (see the one of his second wife, Ruby Helder, on page 30) or Maxfield-Parrish-style arcadias, Bonestell invested his heart and soul in overwhelming cosmic vistas originally devoid of humans (only advice from others convinced him to add figures to his scenes). Perhaps this is not so much a paradox as the honest expression of a large, Whitmanesque personality that could span a wide spectrum of interests. Whatever the answer to the riddle of Bonestell (he liked to deride science fiction as trash, and chose to display his Hugo Award in his bathroom), his huge accomplishments are undeniable, and they come across magnificently here.
Miller is himself an artist of note, who can speak intelligently of Bonestell's paintings and their place in history. Durant is a former administrator at the Smithsonian who was friends with Bonestell, helping him exhibit and market his work. Together, they hit all the highlights of Bonestell's lengthy life in concentrated, concise fashion. For instance, we learn that Bonestell's now-forgotten anti-nuclear-war images had almost as much impact as his famous series on space exploration for Collier's magazine. While the editors are intense partisans of the artist and his work, they also are not unfriendly to criticism of the man, including such instances as his later conservatism in adapting his paintings to include the newest scientific findings.
The reproduction of these images is superb, and the narrative Miller fashions from Bonestell's life is enthralling. The Art of Chesley Bonestell offers hours of visual and intellectual pleasure.
