I recently had the pleasure of visiting New York City, which is always a treat. I enjoyed springtime in the city, and I
took my sweet time smelling the flowers and strolling through Central Park with
my dear ol’ dad.
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| A photo I took of NYC in full bloom! |
The saying goes “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” So when I was in Manhattan, I did as the New
Yorkers do: I went to an art
museum. The Guggenheim, to be
exact. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum offers
a marvelous array of modern and contemporary international art. The museum was designed by the renowned architect
Frank Lloyd Wright, and visitors meander along the winding, spiral ramp towards
the top level of the cylindrical building.
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| A view of the exterior of the Guggenheim Museum on 5th Avenue and 89th Street. http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/visit |
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| A view of the interior of the Guggenheim Museum (looking up). http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/visit |
As I made my way up the levels of the rotunda, I admired the retrospective
John Chamberlain (1927-2011) exhibit, which is a series of sculptures made from old car parts, foam, aluminum foil, and paper that resembles crunched-up
metal (read the press release of this exhibit here). John Chamberlain died on December 21,
2011, so the Guggenheim honored his memory and his prolific career as a three-dimensional
abstract artist. The “John Chamberlain:
Choices” exhibit is chronologically arranged up the Guggenheim’s ramp, but two
of the works are out of order. “SPHINXGRIN TWO” is on the main rotunda level of the museum and “C’ESTZESTY”
is located outside of the museum on Fifth Ave.
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| A photo I took of "SPHINXGRIN TWO." I just couldn't muster the courage to ask everyone to move out of the way. |
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| "C'ESTZESTY" http://lookintomyowl.com/images/john_chamberlain-c-estzesty-2011.jpg |
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| Four sculptures by John Chamberlain on the main ramp of the Guggenheim Museum. http://images.artnet.com/images_US/magazine/news/robinson/john-chamberlain-choices-guggenheim-2-24-11-8.jpg |
The Guggenheim’s galleries are like alcoves filled with treasure
located off of the main museum ramp. When
I came across a gallery displaying paintings by Vasily Kandinsky, I almost
skipped with joy. One of my French
assignments this year was to speak about his art and theoretical work in front
of my class (in French!) for four minutes, so I studied Kandinsky in depth. Kandinsky (1866-1944) was a Russian painter
and art theorist, and he was one of the first creators of pure abstract art.
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| Kandinsky's "Compostition VII" http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/kandinsky/kandinsky.comp-7.jpg |
Kandinsky asserted that he saw color when he heard music, and this unusual cognitive correlation between senses is characteristic of synesthesia. Synesthesia, which can be described as a union of the senses, is a neurological condition in which the stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to involuntary and automatic experiences in at least one other sensory pathway. Kandinsky utilized color to harmonize his paintings with music. An intriguing article in The Telegraph about Kandinsky’s synesthesia entitled “The man who heard his paintbox hiss” (read here) states that Kandinsky discovered his synesthesia during an opera performance in Moscow. Kandinsky described the experience as follows: "I saw all my colors in spirit, before my eyes. Wild, almost crazy lines were sketched in front of me." Some critics are unsure if Kandinsky actually had synesthesia or if he was purposefully experimenting with confused sensory perceptions to advance his abstract art. I included several of my favorite paintings by Kandinsky below.
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| "Painting with Red Spot" http://judaica-art.com/images/uploads/Wassily%20Kandinsky/Painting-with-Red-Spot%201914-border.jpg |
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| http://www.ricci-art.net/img003/82.jpg |
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| "Painting with White Border" http://artnews.org/guggenheim/?exi=30317 |
“Color is the
keyboard, the eyes are the harmonies, the soul is the piano with many strings.
The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause
vibrations in the soul.” –Vasily Kandinsky
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| http://th05.deviantart.net/fs44/300W/i/2009/081/0/1/Kandinsky_Inspired_3_by_Artwyrd.jpg |
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| "Several Circles" http://www.famous-painters.org/Wassily-Kandinsky/Wassily%20Kandinsky/59.jpg
My favorite painting by Kandinsky is "Several
Circles," a 1926 oil painting on canvas (shown above). Lucky for me, it was on display at the
Guggenheim while I was visiting (read a review of this painting on the Guggenheim's website here). I
stared at the painting for far too long, and I bought a few “Several Circles”
post cards in the gift shop. (I'm an art lover on a student budget, so I buy a lot of post cards and keep them for myself.) I have always been captivated by space, and “Several Circles” reminds me of
the night sky, the solar system, and planetariums. If I’m upset, the one thing that
calms me down is going outside and looking up at the sky, the
stars, and the moon. When I was in
elementary school, I told everyone I wanted to be an astrophysicist when I grew
up. Although my career goals have undergone
a 180
degree shift, space will always fascinate me. One of my
favorite styles of art is astronomical art, which is devoted to portraying the phenomena and concepts of
outer space.
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Spotlight on an astronomical artist: Mark A. Garlick
This post features an amazing astronomical artist, Dr. Mark A. Garlick. He has a Bachelor’s degree in astronomy from University College London and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the Mullard Space Science Laboratory. After three years of working in academia, Dr. Garlick transferred his focus to a new career as a writer and illustrator, specializing in the accurate depiction of astronomical phenomena. Dr. Garlick’s work combines his scientific knowledge with his prodigious artistic talent. Hundreds of his astronomical illustrations have appeared in magazines, books, on book covers, in other publications, and on television. I included a selection of Dr. Garlick's work below.
*These images are all copyright Mark A. Garlick and have been
used with permission. Please do not use any
of these images in any way whatsoever without first contacting the artist. Please visit Dr. Garlick’s websites, www.space-art.co.uk and www.markgarlick.com, to see more of his
artwork and learn more about his work.
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| "Eagle Nebula" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/clusters-nebulae/eagle-nebula.html |
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| "Dark Menace" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/sun-images/asteroid-eclipsing-sun.html |
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| "End of an Era" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/solar-system-debris/asteroid-impact.html |
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| "Magnetar" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/single-stars/magnetar.html |
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| "Intermediate Polar" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/binary-stars/intermediate-polar-binary.html |
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| "Be X-ray Binary" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/recent/be-x-ray-binary.html |
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| "Cosmic Blast" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/clusters-nebulae/exploding-supernova.html |
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| "Stellar New Born" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/clusters-nebulae/supernova-shockwave.html |
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| "In the Line of Fire" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/clusters-nebulae/supernova-destroying-planets.html |
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| "Cosmic Gusher" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/galaxies/active-galactic-nucleus.html |
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| "Extragalactic Web" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/galaxies/extragalactic-web.html |
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| "When Black Holes Collide" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/galaxies/when-black-holes-collide.html |
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| "GRB" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/misc/gamma-ray-burster.html *A GRB is a gamma-ray burst |
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| "Black Hole" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/misc/black-hole.html |
Dr. Garlick has also created a number of intriguing and
thought-provoking surrealist works of art, some of which are shown below.
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| "Symbiosis" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/surreal/symbiosis.html |
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| "A Splash in the Cosmic Ocean" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/surreal/cosmic-ocean.html |
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| "Origins" http://www.space-art.co.uk/en/artwork/surreal/origins.html |
Space-inspired fashion
Space and space travel have inspired fashion for
decades. In fact, Space Age fashion was
a full-blown trend in the 1960s (learn more about it here). French designer André Courrèges created a
futuristic Space Age collection in 1964 and unveiled his signature “moon girl”
look. Courrèges’ approach to fashion
design was innovative and dramatic. He
was integral in the introduction of the miniskirt to the fashion world, a style
that screamed youthfulness and defied all social norms of the era. He is also known for the “Courrèges boot,” a mid-calf,
square-toed boot made of white kid leather. Courrèges boots, oversized white sunglasses,
goggles, gloves, and hats that resemble helmets and bonnets accessorized
his Space Age fashion. Learn
more about Courrèges and his space-inspired designs here. I have included several images of Courrèges’ out-of-this-world
(sorry, couldn’t resist!) Space Age collection below.
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| http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/courreges-450x690.jpg |
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| http://www.fashionspeaks.com/uploads/2/1/3/4/2134968/2556893.jpg?492x342 |
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| Audrey Hepburn in a hat and sunglasses by Courrèges http://designkultur.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/courreges-audrey-hepburn.jpeg |
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| http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/courregesspaceage.jpg |
Fendi’s
Spring-Summer 2009 Womenswear collection is another example of galactic fashion hitting the runway.
The geometrical design of the garments and the futuristic heels and hairdos
are reminiscent of the 1960s Space Age. I
included some photographs of this collection below, as well as a video of the
runway show.
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| http://www.teampeterstigter.com/uploads/2008/09/fendi_wcfs09_006.jpg |
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| http://img2.everychina.com/img//87/2e/872e88712c8a59fd9655f0691f0eae69.jpg |
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| http://www.teampeterstigter.com/uploads/2008/09/fendi_wcfs09_070.jpg |
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| http://img2.everychina.com/img//b8/64/b864b9068d485becf201abdcdb1f3930.jpg |
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| http://img2.everychina.com/img//12/66/12669e3bb4ae461cf269c4569e243401.jpg |
Space in the news
The first annular solar eclipse visible in the United States
in almost eighteen years will occur on Sunday, May 20, 2012. However, only people who live west of the
Mississippi River will be lucky enough to be able to see the partially-eclipsed
sun. To learn more about when and where the eclipse will be visible, click here. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon passes between the Earth
and the sun, partially blocking the sun. (A total solar eclipse is when the moon passes
between the Earth and the sun, fully covering the sun.)
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| January 2011 annular solar eclipse http://www.mnn.com/sites/default/files/RingOfFireEclipse_m_0510.jpg |
Something to ponder
The International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) was formally registered in 1986. Thirty artists from the USA, the USSR, Canada, and Great Britain gathered in Iceland in 1988 to initiate a collective five year project. The Planetary Society, the IAAA, and the Soviet Cosmic Group would conduct workshops and exhibitions in Senezh-Moscow in the spring of 1989, in Utah in the summer of 1989, and Gurzuf-Crimea in the fall of 1990. A quote from the IAAA website states that “The intent of the project was to demonstrate the common ideal of international cooperation, dialogue for the better understanding of ourselves which ultimately would soothe the differences between the nations of the world as mankind prepares to step from ancestral Earth with a cooperative spirit.” After reading about the purpose of the project, is anyone else thinking along the lines of the Cold War, the Space Race, and attempts at détente between the US and the USSR in the late 1980s? Hmm...
