Chesley Bonestell Art Gallery

KATHRYN M. HUMM, ART GALLERY CURATOR

ABSTRACT

To the beginning World Wide Web user, some of the most impressive applications have been those which bring recognizable visual images to the screen. There is no doubt that this type of application will grow as more people gain access to the internet through the World Wide Web. The Chesley Bonestell Art Gallery is a WWW based application through which one can take a virtual tour of the privately owned Bonestell collection. Aside from creating a usable application from which others can learn and enjoy the art of Chesley Bonestell, a goal for this project was to explore a wide range of technology in an effort to capture digital images of differing quality with varying retrieval speeds and file sizes.

I. INTRODUCTION

Chesley Bonestell was an artist and illustrator who created paintings depicting astronomical scenes and space flight explorations. Bonestell's impact upon the field of space exploration was recently the focus of an article in Scientific American (May 1994). The summer of '94 has been an exciting season for space enthusiasts; the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first lunar landing in 1969 and the spectacular comet collision on Jupiter both created a renewed interest for the world beyond our planet. Many space enthusiasts believe that Bonestell's imagination and technical knowledge had a profound effect upon our efforts to explore space exploration back in the early 1960's. Thus, the timing is perfect to revisit the artwork of this creative artist. By doing this, perhaps a new generation of scientists will become inspired to dream of exploring other untouched locations in our solar system.

The majority of the Bonestell paintings are housed in a private collection. Thus, they are not available for view by the general public. The goal for this WWW project was to create an on-line gallery of Bonestell paintings. In this way people all over the world could access them and learn from Mr. Bonestell's efforts. The most effective method for sharing these paintings to others around the world is through Mosaic documents over the WWW.

II. SAMPLE PAGE FROM THE CHESLEY BONESTELL ART GALLERY

Exploring the Moon

IMPORTANT NOTE:

All paintings are protected by copyright (c). Permission for reproduction must be obtained in writing from The Chesley Bonestell Estate. Address requests to:
F. C. Durant III
Bonestell Space Art
P. O. Box 15382
Chevy Chase, Maryland 20825

Date:
Bauder Catalog Reference: 45
Principal Subject: Moon
Dimensions: 25" x 22"
Medium:
Museum Showings: The Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo Japan, May 5-17, 1983
Publications:

The Conquest of Space (1949) Plate XXIV
"Astounding Science Fiction" (July, 1948)
"Baedecker of the Solar System" in Saturday Review of Literature (December 24, 1949)
Our Solar System (1955)
"Chesley Bonestell: Space Painter - The Master at 90" in Future Life (April, 1978)
"An Earthquake, a Boring Job, the Boob Public - Chesley Bonestell at 90 Has Survived Them All" in People (February 13, 1978)
"Chesley Bonestell at 91" in Palo Alto Medical Clinic Exhibition Brochure (March/April, 1979)
Spacecraft in Fact and Fiction (1979)
Worlds Beyond - The Art of Chesley Bonestell in "Sky and Telescope" (July, 1984)
"Starman" in Omni (July, 1987)

Notations:

Caption from The Conquest of Space (1949): "The ship, having landed on its tail, will take off from this position for the return to earth, "

III. PROJECT DESIGN

In creating the Chesley Bonestell Art Gallery, a variety of methods for image capture were explored in order to provide a range of image qualities.

On the lower end, in house photography was used to capture both print and slide medium. A Nikon 35mm camera was sent up on a tripod in a mock photography studio. Photo processing was done at a local photo lab. Computer images were captured using both print or slide scans (either a Hewlett Packard Scan Jet IIcx or Nikon Cool Scan, respectively). The accompanying software allowed for proper adjustment in color and shadowing.

To produce the high quality desired, a professional photographer was retained to shoot negative transparancies of the paintings. Then, these transparancies were transferred onto the computer using a CD disk. At the present time, both professional and commercial formats are being explored.

Aside from the technological knowledge gained from this project, another important aspect included the documentation of the paintings. An inventory of the Chesley Bonestell paintings located in a private collection was taken. Each painting was taken down from its location and the back of it was inspected. The following information was recorded:

Title(s) - It is not uncommon for Bonestell paintings to be known by several similar titles. Some are merely shortened names. The principal title (the one found on the back of the painting) is the first title referenced on each painting page. The remaining titles are ones which have been found in other resources.
Medium - The type of material which the artist used to paint the picture. This has only been recorded on some of the paintings. The majority of those are done in oil on board.
Size - The size of the painting was recorded on the back of some of the paintings. The majority of the time this was written in inches, however there are some metric conversions noted.
Publications - To find the books, magazines, etc. where the Bonestell paintings have been printed, the Bauder Catalog was referenced. The Bauder Catalog of Bonestell Paintings was created by Reverand Bauder. It is a listing of Bonestell paintings which have been published in books, magazine covers, magazine articles, and other published works.
The Bauder Catalog groups the paintings according to published work. One page from the catalog is dedicated to each painting which has been published. Under a copy of the painting is a bibliography of other published works where the painting can be found.
Each painting in the catalog has been given a number. Mr. Bauder numbered paintings #1-302. Then, he numbered paintings which had appeared in magazine format from #1-130 with the following distinctions: #1-60 (magazines), #61-99 (Science Fiction covers), #100-130 (matte paintings). Lastly, he has a small collection of unpublished paintings. These were numbered #1-28.
These numbers have been used in The Chesley Bonestell Art Gallery with some modification. The following abreviations have been used for referencing The Bauder Catalog of Bonestell Paintings:
- Paintings: simply the number (1-302)
- Magazine, Science Fiction covers, matte paintings: M followed by a number (1-130)
- Unpublished works: UP followed by a number (1-28)
Notations - Many of the paintings have other important marks on the back. All of this information was recorded. Numbers and or combinations of numbers and letters seem to refer to paintings which were parts of collections or museum showings. On some of the paintings are remarks describing the painting's content or reference for painting. These comments were often written by Mr. Bonestell himself.

IV. RESPONSE TO THE CHESLEY BONESTELL ART GALLERY

User response to the Chesley Bonestell Art Gallery has been very positive and encouraging. Most of those who communicate to the creators do so for several reasons. Some people have written to inquire how to get specific information or the possibity of obtaining larger images. Others have written to express their interest and enjoyment in the topic.

V. CONCLUSIONS

Although the project is still in its developing stages, we have learned of the power and possibilities which Mosaic affords. The combination of text and detailed high resolution images is crucial to the education aspect of the application. In addition, the capability of linking documents allows the user to explore those topics which interest him/her the most. By linking to outside documents such as NASA, the possibilities for exploration and education available to students are endless.

We continue to explore new forms for image capture and retrieval in the pursuit of high quality images which spark the imagination and desire for space exploration.

VI. BIOGRAPHY - KATHRYN M. HUMM

Ms. Humm is an elementary teacher at Sheridan School in Lake Forest, Illinois. She has taught third grade for six years.

As an educator, she has been involved in curriculum design and implementaion related to technology. She has served as a Building Technology Specialist for her school for two years during which time she helped to maintain an Apple network system. In addition, she has had experience with multi media documents when she created a Hypertext documents on Martin Luther King, Jr. and volcanoes for primary age children. Both applications are used by K-3 students throughout the Lake Forest School District.

During the summer of 1994, Ms. Humm was introduced to Mosaic on the WWW through her development of the Chesley Bonestell Art Gallery. The gallery is based upon a private collection of Chesley Bonestell paintings.

A graduate of Saint Mary's College (B.A. Mathematics and Elementary Education) and DePaul University (M. Ed. Curriculum Development), Ms. Humm resides in Chicago, Illinois.

kathyh@secapl.com