Space + Art

       

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The importance of art in space exploration is most evident in early astronomers and their research. Early astronomers often had backgrounds as artists because of how necessary these artistic skills were to early space research.  Before the development of more sophisticated cameras, the only way to capture the wonders of space that astronomers viewed through early telescopes was to draw or paint it (Livio). 

This type of art has fed the public’s interest in astronomy since the Renaissance era. This interest influenced many successful cinematic ventures in the early 20th century such as A Trip to the Moon(1902) and  Flash Gordon(1936) which first displayed the ideas of space travel and life outside of Earth on the screen (Anderson). 

Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope 

I was previously unaware of how much this early interest in space themed movies influenced the space age in the United States and vice versa (Buckley). The public’s interest in these movies overlapped heavily with the development of the Space Program in the US in the 1960’s. After NASA sent the first men to the moon in 1969, there was a surge in space themed science fiction movies that reached unprecedented box office success such as Star Wars Episode IV, Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) (IMDb). The fusion between space and cinematic art has shaped pop culture for decades, but the significance of art in astronomy goes back centuries and still exhibits itself in the production of amazing art in space using telescopes and technologically advanced cameras (Tedeschi).

Unforgettable Hubble Space Telescope Photos - The New York Times

Anderson, Chris. “From 1900 to 2013: The Evolution of Outer Space on the Big Screen.” Business Insider, Thejournal.ie, www.thejournal.ie/space-movies-film-history-1117934-Oct2013/.

Buckley, Sean. “The Impact of the Space Age on Film.” The Artifice, the-artifice.com/the-impact-of-the-space-age-on-film/.

Livio, Mario. “Astronomy in Renaissance Art.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/mario-livio/astronomy-art_b_3748900.html.

Tedeschi, Diane. “Space Artists Go Where the Cameras Can't.” Air & Space Magazine, Air & Space Magazine, 23 Sept. 2015, www.airspacemag.com/space/astronomical-beauty-180956711/.

“Top-US-Grossing Feature Films Released 1970-01-01 to 1979-12-31.” IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/search/title/?release_date=1970,1979&sort=boxoffice_gross_us&title_type=feature.