[ Introduction ][ Mission ][ A Brief History of Space Art ]

Artists On The Forefront Of Space Exploration [ Next ]

Space exploration is the greatest voyage of discovery ever undertaken and, as artists have traditionally accompanied explorers on many of the great voyages of scientific and geographic discovery, artists have also been at the forefront of space exploration since its beginnings.

Since the first use of the telescope in 1610, before the invention of the camera, astronomers recorded their observations by making drawings. In 1870 Emile Bayard created woodcuts to illustrate Jules Verne's "Around the Moon" a sequel to his classic "From the Earth to the Moon" (1865). At about the same time James Nasmyth's illustrations were the first space landscapes to appear in a non-fiction book: "The Moon".

Before the invention of spaceflight, before the flight of the first airplane, artists were exploring space in the arts and literature and have continued their explorations ever since.

Art about space has not only been an integral part of space exploration since its beginnings, it has also played a vital role to its development as well.

As stated in the 1993 Call for Papers for the 44th International Astronautical Congress:

"Visual artists and writers have created fictional images and scenarios on the development of space. Such visions are the primary way that the general public is introduced to ideas about space exploration. Artists and writers, in fact, lay the foundation which makes future space activities understandable by the general public and thus secures the necessary political support."

The above words acknowledge the importance of including art in today's space programs. Whereas, artists and writers of the past created the visions upon which the present space program has been built, today, many artists serve the space community by helping to visualize future developments and by giving form to developing technologies. They are valued partners of the scientists and engineers.

Others, inspired by the beauty and wonder of the cosmos and by the implications of humankind leaving its ancestral home planet, are creating new art forms and new art techniques appropriate to human expansion in this new environment. Therefore, having art included in humankind's activities in space is a logical and timely development.

"Those chosen as the first space communicators may do more to enlarge our concept of the universe than have all of the bound artists of the past." (Hoban, OMNI 1985)

Click to continue:

On The Forefront Of Space Exploration

The Definition of Space Art

Astronomical Art

Art Sent Into Space

Orbital Sculptures

Art On Earth Seen From Space

Performance Art In Zero-G

Space And Contemporary Art

Present & Future Space Art Projects

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