William K. Hartmann

This 1990 book celebrates the work of astronomical artists from West and East (the packaging talks about it being 'Soviet/American', but the Western artists include the UK's own David Hardy, and within a very short time of publication, the Soviet Union itself would come to an end). It came about following the creation of the International Association for the Astronomical Arts and their being approached by the Soviet Union of Artists to participate in their celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of Sputnik I.

The book notes that American artists tend to approach their subject empirically, whereas the Soviet artists, much to the surprise of some, had a more symbolic, even spiritual approach. The western writers were not aware of the historical role of the Russian 'Cosmism' movement, which sought to place humankind in its proper place in the cosmos from a philosophical and spiritual viewpoint. Cosmism arose in the early 20th Century, and was encouraged by the Bolsheviks for making a break with Western materialism and encouraging scientific progress through collective effort. Although not acknowledged by the Soviet artists in this book, it nonetheless remains a potent theme in many of the works shown from Russian artists.

The book includes essays and work from two highly notable space artists who have also flown in space: Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space, and Alan Bean, who landed on the Moon on the Apollo 12 mission.… (meer)

Embark on a journey through the solar system, discover worlds of ice, of erupting volcanoes, of swirling acid clouds, Astronomer William Hartmann’s years of research, personal observation, and interviews with colleagues combine with science, art-photography, paintings, drawings, and maps to give readers a spectacular look at our amazing solar system.

Discover the strange and the uncanny, learn how planets came to be, explore what it would be like to set foot on them today. It’s a not-to-be-missed adventure in the pages of this unputdownable book.

Highly recommended.… (meer)