Highly important portfolio of Chesley Bonestell’s earliest astronomical drawings: the precursors of his revelatory solar system series sold to Life magazine in 1944.

These are the earliest surviving space paintings by Bonestell known to Ron Miller and Frederick C. Durant III, close associates of the artist during his lifetime and the authors of The Art of Chesley Bonestell, the definitive reference book on his work. This collection of sketches and notes were in a three-ring document folder—which Bonestell frequently used instead of a traditional sketchbook.

After decades of successful work as an architectural illustrator and designer (most famously for the Golden Gate Bridge), Bonestell had moved to Hollywood to work as a special effects matte painter. The first movie he worked on was The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), soon followed by The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and Citizen Kane (1941). Notably, it was with matte painting that Bonestell honed his skills in oils. “Previously, most of his architectural work had been done in pen-and-ink, lithographic crayon, or watercolour. ‘I never liked watercolors, because if you made a mistake you had to start all over—with oils you can change and change.’” (Miller & Durant).

“[In Hollywood, Bonestell] never lost his interest in astronomy, however, and while still painting mattes he began working on a series of oil sketches showing the planets as they might appear from their satellites. He was literally teaching himself astronomical painting, not only working out the special problems in perspective, colour and lighting but also seriously critiquing his knowledge of astronomy—he was determined that these would ultimately be the most accurate depictions of the planets possible:

‘[T]he planets of our Solar System had never been accurately depicted from their satellites, through a definite visual angle. Always before it had been an “artist's conception” ... As my knowledge of the technical side of the motion picture industry broadened I realized I could apply camera angles as used in the motion picture studio to illustrate “travel” from satellite to satellite, showing Saturn exactly as it would look, and at the same time I could add interest by showing the inner satellites or outer ones on the far side of Saturn, as well as the planet itself in different phases.’” (ibid).

The present drawings are the series of oil sketches referenced above, further described as “a sketchbook of planetary landscapes [Bonestell] worked on while developing the concepts that evolved into his first full-scale space paintings … probably done in the early 1940s while Bonestell was still working at Warner Brothers” (p. 42). In other citations, they are dated to circa 1940. The five typed descriptions of the sketches, also included, were made later, probably in association with an unrealized publication. Several of the drawings have pencil markings and technical notes by Bonestell.

The individual drawings are as follows:
1. Approaching Jupiter's Satellites, Callisto in Foreground (with typed text page)
2. Jupiter from Callisto (with typed text page)
3. Jupiter from Ganymede (with typed text page)
4. Jupiter from Small Satellite (with typed text page)
5. Quarter Phase of Jupiter, Seen from Europa (with typed text page)
6. Untitled [Saturn]
7. Saturn
8. Iapetus - Saturn 2° 2000 ± dia
9. Untitled [Another view of Saturn from Iapetus, Saturn waning crescent]
10. Untitled [Saturn from Hyperion]
11. Saturn from Titan
12. Rhea 3/16° Titan-Saturn 5 1/2° 3000 dia ±
13. Titan 1 1/4° 720 min out Hyperion Saturn 4 1/2° Rhea 10' 500 ± dia
14. Untitled [Saturn rising over Rhea]
15. Saturn from his Satellite Rhea
16. Untitled [Saturn from one of its moons]
17. Mimas - 1/2° Dione - Saturn 18° Enceladas 3/4° 1100 ± mi diameter Tethys 1 1/2° 3000 mi out from Dione
18. Untitled [Saturn from Tethys?]
19. Untitled [1200 mi out from Enceladus - Saturn 28° / 800 mi dia ± / Milky Way]
20. Saturn
21. Untitled [Saturn]