The Art of Robert McCall: A Celebration of Our Future in Space

by Robert McCall, Ray Bradbury (Introduction)

From the first manned space flight of Mercury I to Neil Armstrong's first steps on the moon to recent shuttle launches, McCall has done more to capture America's presence in space than any other artist. Now comes a gorgeous retrospective of the work of America's premier space artist--75 full-color paintings plus an introduction by Ray Bradbury.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

150 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

McCall was an illustrator for Life magazine in the 1960s, created promotional artwork for Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey and Richard Fleischer's production Tora! Tora! Tora! and worked as an artist for NASA, documenting the history of the Space Race. McCall was also production illustrator on Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The character Commander William Riker expressed admiration for the work of "Bob McCall" in one episode of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

McCall's work can be found on U.S. postage stamps, and also NASA mission patches such as for Apollo 17. His murals grace the walls of the National Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art, The Pentagon, Epcot, and Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. McCall was also commissioned by The Walt Disney Company to do a painting called "The Prologue and The Promise" for the Epcot attraction, Horizons in 1983. Guests could see the mural at the end of the attraction as they exited.

McCall died in 2010 of heart failure in Scottsdale, Arizona. He is survived by his wife Louise, their two daughters, Linda and Catherine, and four grandchildren.

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divided into five sections and with an introduction by the venerable science fiction author Ray Bradbury, this amazing volume gives readers a look at Robert McCall’s inspiring space art. Beginning with A New Dawn, McCall visualizes the American space program from the 1960s to the 1990s. Here readers can see the massive “Opening the Space Frontier – The Next Giant Step,” a mural done for the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Of particular note and singularly appropriate for this day, the fifty-first anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, is the inclusion of the impressive “First Men on the Moon” depicting the first lunar landing.



Part Two focuses on Newer Worlds, the stepping-stones . . . exploring the moon and Mars. Part Three, Earthlight, projects a future earth while Part Four, Floating Worlds, looks at harnessing the force of gravity. The final section, Part Five, Cosmic Horizons, offers symbolic paintings exploring the great themes: spirituality, human destiny, the nature of time and space.

Captions, written for this volume by Tappan King, identify the medium, the size of the painting, and offer a brief commentary. Interspersed throughout the book are working drafts and pictures of the artist at work; a note from the artist is found on the final page of the book.

In these pages, readers will find a treat for the eyes, a bit of contemplation on space exploration, and awe-inspiring artwork. This coffee-table-sized book should be on every reader’s “Must Read” list.

Highly recommended.

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book showing the painting of the best artist that was alive during my lifetime.

[Harold Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a work of real Art. It brings out that sense of patriotism in America. The colors and the beauty he places into his paintings, the imagination, the vision. He did all this without stepping into Space... ever. He was one of the first artists chosen by NASA to document the space program. He was at mission control when America landed on the moon. It makes me proud to be an American. To have the imagination and have the insight to put on paper such beautiful sights.

[Harold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Terrific reproductions of his paintings.