Legacies of the Galaxies: Space & Art By: Anubhav Chandla

Cosmic odysseys are rooted in the intersection of space and art. Art is rooted in exploration and the rise of knowledge of space has allowed artists to curate vivid depictions that are enjoyed today. Before modern divides, art, and science were often united under one branch. Even so, the “Father of Modern Space Art” is a title given to artist Chesley Bonestell who would paint space before humans even fully knew what it entailed (Voon 1). While art is inspired by space, it has even made its way to space as artists such as Alexei Leonov drew a sunrise onboard a Soviet spacecraft showcasing that someone passionate for the sciences can also have that passion for at (Meier 2).

Several Circles by Wassily Kandinsky (1926)

Art is a collaborative experiences, and this requires the tapping into numerous disciplines to project findings that are accurate and share a story with an audience (Code Utopia 5). Furthermore, several subsects in the combination of space and art have risen. For example, artist Cathrin Machin utilizes images taken from telescopes and turns them into wondrous cosmic paintings that even glow in the dark (Taggart 3). To audiences across the world, she is able to share her talent while outlining the inner workings of galaxies themselves. This creates a special relationship between the two as one is inspired by another and does not have to occur in a linear fashion.

Andromeda by Harry Jones

Space exploration is a topic that is often unknown and overlooked. Students are not formally taught about it in school, thus the intersection of space and art furthers education on the subject while pushing students to express themselves in unique mediums (Malina 324). As new findings are developed, artists are quick to act, ready to pass their knowledge on to the rest of society.

The Art of the Hubble Space Telescope

Bibliography

“CODED UTOPIA.” Continental Drift, 27 Mar. 2007, https://brianholmes.wordpress.com/2007/03/27/coded-utopia/. Malina, Frank J. “On the Visual Fine Arts in the Space Age.” Leonardo, vol. 3, no. 3, 1970, pp. 323–25. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1572339. Meier, Allison. “Art in Space.” JSTOR Daily, 28 Sept. 2018, https://daily.jstor.org/art-in-space/. Taggart, Emma. “Artist Creates Giant Paintings of Our Dazzling Galaxy That Actually Glow in the Dark.” My Modern Met, 8 July 2020, https://mymodernmet.com/space-art-cathrin-machin/. Voon, Claire. “The Visionary Astral Paintings That Inspired Space Exploration.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/clairevoon/2014/11/28/the-visionary-astral-paintings-that-inspired-space-exploration/. Accessed 2 June 2023.

Media Citation

Space Art | Spaced Out. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mJGmYM2kBI. Accessed 2 June 2023.

Editors, Artspace. “Ten Modern Masters Who Elevated ‘space Art’ to Astronomical Heights.” Artspace, 3 Oct. 2017, www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/book_report/ten-depictions-of-the-cosmos-by-modern-masters-55022.

Tan, Adlina. “6 Artists and Their Interest in Outer Space.” The Artling, 25 Aug. 2021, theartling.com/en/artzine/6-artists-and-their-interest-outer-space/.