Week Nine: Space + Art

This week's topic focus on how art and space intertwine. Personally, I've always found space very beautiful. Copernicus' heliocentric model was one of the first to both mathematically and artistically display the sun in the middle of our enormous solar system (Vesna). As the telescope and more powerful magnification tools emerged in the scientific community, so did photography of the planets, stars, and even far reaching galaxies. Pictured below, top, is an example of the Hubble telescope's far reaching abilities to pick up images of a nebula (Hubble Heritage Team). In comparison to William Parson's drawing of a nebula (M51) (most bottom), the actual picture of a nebula is far more beautiful, intricate, and awe-inducing than our human imaginations (Andersen). However, there is no denial that any space exploration led to art; Parson's drawing is theorized to have inspired Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' (Andersen).

However, space, much like nanotechnology, has so many unknowns that it was only natural for art to emerge from it. Artists used their imaginations every day to create media that may portray living on these foreign planets, as we simply didn't know what existed there. Science-fiction artists were the first to provide many scientific ideas, like the space station that later became reality through Russian space programs and NASA. (Vesna) Trips into space were pioneered by dogs and monkeys, and these brave travelers (all of which died) were immortalized via artistic renditions, such as those on stamps. People, too, many of whom passed away, led to artistic responses such as the Columbia space shuttle memorial, a beautifully carved gravestone, or songs and poems written about those who lost their lives (Hansen, Smith). For example, teenager Jessi Hall wrote a poem including the lines, "Oh starry skies will keep them safe/but what of us down here/tears are shed for those who stay/in orbit 'round reality" (Hansen).

In a similar way, this transition to space travel as a commonality led to media portrayals of human life on the moon and other planets. Shows like Lost in Space, which featured the Robinsons stranded on a foreign planet, were hits among TV-watchers (Lost in Space). My mom has even spoken about how popular the Robinsons, The Jetsons, and all of Star Trek were when she grew up. The shows allowed for creative expansions. We don't actually have jet packs that easily propel you through space, especially not without a space suit, yet Lost in Space featured such inventions (Lost in Space). What was possible and what was not was not irrelevant, it was unknown.

Sources:

Andersen, Kurt. "Was Van Gogh's 'Starry Night' inspired by a scientific drawing?" PRI. PRI, 29 Jan 2015. Web. 29 May 2017.

Hansen, Liane. "Poem on the Space Shuttle Columbia Crash." NPR. NPR, 2 Feb 2003. Web. 29 May 2017.

"Lost in Space." IMDb.com. Amazon, 2017. Web. 29 May 2017.

Smith, Sonia. "Remembering the Space Shuttle Columbia." Texas Monthly. Texas Monthly, 30 Jan 2013. Web. 29 May 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. Space Pts. 1-6 https://cole2.uconline.edu/courses/684222/pages/unit-9-view?module_item_id=11226181

Pictures:

Parson William. Digital Image. "Whirlpool Galaxy." PRI, 29 Jan 2015, https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-01-29/was-van-goghs-starry-night-inspired-scientific-drawing.

NASA. Digital Image. "Pillars of Creation." Wikipedia, Hubble Heritage Team, 29 Oct 2014, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope.

Smith, Sonia. Digital Image. "Remebering the Space Shuttle Coloumbia." Texas Monthly, Ron Edmonds, 30 Jan 2013, http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-culture/remembering-the-space-shuttle-columbia/.

Vejvoda, Jim. Digital Image. "The Jetsons Animated Movie in the Works." IGN, 25 Jan 2015, http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/25/the-jetsons-animated-movie-in-the-works.