Luděk Pešek

Luděk Pešek (26 April 1919 – 4 December 1999) was a Czech artist and novelist. He was noted for his representations of astronomical subjects. The asteroid 6584 Ludekpesek is named after him.Lutz D. Schmandel, ''Dictionary of Minor Planet Names'', v. 1 (Springer, 2003), p. 543, col. 2. He was influenced by Lucien Rudaux.

Biography

Luděk Pešek was born in 1919 in Kladno, Czechoslovakia, and grew up in the city of Ostrava. His boyhood was marked by the longing for mountains, and distant lands, laying the ground for his later interest in geology and astronomy. His potential artistic and literary talents were recognized early, and encouraged by his art teacher at grammar school. It was also on that occasion, that he first had the opportunity to use an astronomical telescope. At the age of fifteen, Pešek acquired a painter's easel, and began to practice his hobby earnestly. Later, he attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague.

He produced his first art works around the age of 19. His first publications were ''The Moon and Planets'' (1963), and ''Our Planet Earth'' (1967). His work first reached US readers through the ''National Geographic Magazine'', which commissioned him to do a series of works about Mars. Previous to the Mars article, he had painted 15 scenes for an article called ''Journey to the Planets'' in August 1970. In 1967, Pešek wrote his first science-fiction novel, ''Log of a Moon Expedition'', which he illustrated in black and white. Another, ''The Earth Is Near'', won Prize of Honour in Germany in 1971. It was published in the UK and United States in 1974. He illustrated ''Space Shuttles'' in 1976. He worked with writer Peter Ryan on several slim books for children: ''Journey to the Planets'' (1972), ''Planet Earth'' (1972), ''The Ocean World'' (1973), and ''UFOs and Other Worlds'' (1975); he later worked with the same author on the large-format ''Solar System'' (1978). He also illustrated the excellent ''Bildatlas des Sonnensystems'' (1974), with German text by Bruno Stanek.

From 1981 to 1985, he produced a series of 35 paintings on ''The Planet Mars'', and a series of 50 paintings, ''Virgin Forests in the USA'', one of which can be seen on the Earth page.

He produced several 360-degree panoramas for projection in the domes of the planetariums at Stuttgart, Winnipeg and Lucerne, and exhibited in Washington, D.C., Boston, Nashville, Stuttgart, Bern, Lucerne, Zürich, and other venues. His work is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

He died in Stäfa, Switzerland.

Books in English

*''The Moon and the Planets –'' by Josef Sadil and Luděk Pešek – 1963
*''Log of a Moon Expedition'' – 1969
*''Journey to the Planets'' – by Peter Ryan and Luděk Pešek – 1972
*''The Ocean World'' – by Peter Ryan and Luděk Pešek – 1973
*''The Earth is Near'' – 1974
*''UFOs and Other Worlds'' – by Peter Ryan and Luděk Pešek – 1975
*''An Island for Two'' – 1975
*''A Beautiful, Peaceful World'' – by Hans-Joachim Gelberg and Willi Glasauer – 1976
*''Solar System'' – by Peter Ryan and Luděk Pešek – 1978
*''Trap For Perseus'' – 1980

See also

*List of space artists

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pesek, Ludek
1919 births
1999 deaths
Czech science fiction writers
Swiss science fiction writers
Czech science fiction artists
Swiss science fiction artists
Space artists
Czechoslovak artists
People from Kladno
Czechoslovak emigrants to Switzerland
Czechoslovak writers