How the Moon SHOULD Look

The previous post had a comment that sent me on a tiny research mission and I bumped into these images of Chesley Bonestell's vision of a lunar base. 

It's interesting to note that there was another artist who specialized in astronomical art and was actually more important and influential than Bonestell. In 1937, the French astronomer-artist Lucien Rudaux published a book 'On Other Worlds' ('Sur les autres mondes') and rendered lunar landscapes that were astonishingly accurate to the rolling eroded hills that we now know the moon to be. Unfortunately for his popularization, that makes for boring pictures, and his true visions were pretty much ignored.

Bonestell, on the other hand, purposely dramatized his lunar landscapes with towering jagged peaks and jutting geologic formations. This, everyone felt, is how the moon SHOULD look. . .but disappointingly didn't, as the lunar astronauts showed us. But Bonestell helped to inspire a generation of scientists to make the trip possible. So there you are, art was there first, even if it did exaggerate the results. 

Chesley Bonestell, Lunar Base depiction, 1949

Chesley Bonestell, Lunar exploration depiction, 1961

Lunar Architecture

This is an image from my morgue, so I don't remember the source or date, but it's at least 1970ish or earlier. It's obviously a visionary rendition of a future lunar base, and I just am gaga over the concept of domes and building into the geologic formations. And that vehicle looks like a VW bug—yow, how cool!

This is a painting by Leslie Carr, based on a drawing by R.A. Smith.

Terrific and Prolific

Herbert Paus was a terrific and prolific illustrator of the first third of the 20th century. His style was bold in composition, color, and rendering—poster-like in impact. He is not as well-known as he should be.

Kelly Sunday is Here Again

45 years ago today:

Italian Art Nouveau

I know I use the word 'beautiful' an awful lot in describing the images that I post, and that's because that's just what they are. This is a beautiful and elegant Italian Art Nouveau poster by Adolfo Hohenstein from 1898. Love that typography, oh, and that little devil guy.

Guise of a Mortal

George Romney, the painter, had a muse in the guise of a mortal. Her name was Emma, Lady Hamilton. Born in 1761, she was such a delightful model for Romney that he painted and sketched her many times, and here shown are but a few examples. One can certainly understand his obsession and see what he saw in her.

Above, Romney's most well-known painting of Emma, 1785

Above, Emma as Circe, 1782

'Nature'

Emma as a bacchante

Macabrely Beautiful

It's always fun to see sources and inspirations. This is a fairly famous poster for the Grateful Dead concert at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco in 1966. It recycled an illustration by Edmund J. Sullivan for Quatrain XXVI of The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam in 1859. 

Both uses are striking and macabrely beautiful.

Poster by Mouse Studios, 1966

Book illustration by Edmund J. Sullivan, 1859

Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise

To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies;

One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies;

The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.

Beautiful Tribute

Since we're admiring Esteban Maroto's work, let's do another post showing his beautiful tribute to Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon.

Inspiration

A panel by Esteban Maroto and, below it, his inspiration by John Atkinson Grimshaw. Grimshaw inspired himself by painting several very similar such paintings.

Esteban Maroto

John Atkinson Grimshaw—Iris—1886

Panels & Pages

I don't have full stories of Esteban Maroto to post, but these are my favorite Maroto panels & pages from my morgue. Fabulous graphix.

Panels & Pages

Gates of Dawn

Speaking of exquisite women, this painting is probably the most well-known of Herbert Draper's, Gates of Dawn, and I would be horribly remiss to not include it in our Draper collection. Directly below is a detail from the painting, and below that—allegory in all it's glory.

I think it looks a bit like James Gurney could have painted this, testament to just how great Gurney is.

Exquisite Women

JC Leyendecker, perhaps better known for his renderings of men, obviously could paint exquisite women.

Detail above, of ad below

Happy Birthday Walt Kelly!

Walt Kelly was born 96 years ago today.

Happy Birdday, as well, to Mike Kaluta! Oh, and Sean Connery!

Above and below from Songs of the Pogo

From the back cover of Pogo #11

This is a drawing I made of Kelly while sitting with a library reference file that I couldn't check out. It's from a portrait of him from the early 60s.

Really Heavy

There have been a lot of cool covers on Heavy Metal. This is probably my fave. 

Chris Moore

Howard, how cool that you were in that issue.

Typography as Art

Early 20th Century saw a lively use of typography utilized as art for art's sake. Yes, it was communication, thereby making it a practical art, but the lovely shapes of letters and the arrangement of them made for an aesthetic experience. Even if a person were illiterate, type could be lovely to gaze upon. 

This poster for an exhibition for the Munich Secession was designed by Franz von Stuck, the German symbolist.

Naiads

Imagine how hard it was for an artist to be accepted socially in Victorian times if nudes were their artistic forte.  But paint in some wispy wings to make them faerie, and then nudity was quite acceptable. Joseph Noel Paton, who painted these two naiads, or water nymphs, was one of the better known faerie fine artists.

Fahreda Mahzar Spyropolos

A Pogo Sunday strip that was published 45 years ago today.

Luxurious Traveling

I truly regret being born too late to travel the world in the 1930s, especially aboard luxurious flying boats, flying long-range routes to India, Africa, and Australia—landing in exotic locales for overnight stays in grand hotels with sumptuous meals.

The Princess

Howard Chandler Christy—The Princess.

1935ish

Joan Crawford is not a favorite actress of mine, but this is my favorite photo of Joan Crawford, 1935ish.

Reason for Our Existence

When I am facing life and death mysteries and searching for meaning, I look to the infinite nature of the universe for comfort. I am in awe, yet never feel overwhelmed, thinking of the vastness of existence—time and space in all directions. I feel connected, no matter how tiny my presence. 

There is reason for our existence and part of the spectrum of that reason is love and beauty, in their purest essence and many varieties.

Thank you to all I have heard from, in comments and emails. Blessings to everyone, as we each go through the same passages of life and death.

A lovely graphic from Light of Consciousness, Journal of Spiritual Awakening