I am sorry to hear that Robert McCall, 90, has passed away. I don’t think there is a popular artist more intimately connected with NASA and space exploration as McCall. Looking at his work you cannot help but to think that common-place space travel should be both wondrous and possible. He has influenced and inspired millions throughout his lengthy career with his documentary paintings, film concept art (including 2001: A Space Odyssey), postal stamps, and museum murals.
“One of the joys of being an artist is the freedom to create one's own world....Like the real world, these excursions of the imagination are fraught with inaccuracies of perception—it is rare that one glimpses through the veil of time even a hint of tomorrow's reality — nor does it seem important to me whether one's perceptions are right or wrong, the pleasure is in making the predictions and doing the work.”— Robert McCallTake some time to visit McCall’s work on his comprehensive website. You’ll be glad you did.
For more in depth reading:
CollectSpace.com
Lines and Colors
3 comments:
Noooo ! :( this is such sad, sad news ! McCall is one of the greatest in my book ! :(
RIP, man.
As a kid, I thought the poster he did for "2001: ASO" captured the whole spirit of space. Even though it had these motion trails of...stuff...coming off of the PanAm ship and the space station, I just didn't seem to care.The paintings are packed with a sense of glorious starlight.
It was an early realization that paintings didn't necessarily have to be 'correct' to get us to feel what was portrayed. I use that aspect in my work to this day, and hope to get better at it.
McCall mastered such a comfortable view of being in space, it felt like we were almost there already. All we needed was to build the ships.
Besides, he'd already envisioned them.
A long and fruitful artist's life. Thanks, Bob.
The 1970's were truly the Golden Age of Sci-Fi art.
R.I.P. Mr. McCall
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