Space exploration became firmly interwoven with American culture through influential speeches by President John F. Kennedy at a time of heightened awa

How Space Art Shaped National Identity

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2024-05-08 10:30:04

Space exploration became firmly interwoven with American culture through influential speeches by President John F. Kennedy at a time of heightened awareness of the “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, space art also played a significant role in shaping American perspectives on space—helping to bridge the gaps between scientific, sociopolitical, and cultural viewpoints on exploration. More directly, space art inspired the nation to dream bigger and reach for the stars. By depicting the fantastic landscapes of other worlds, artists helped to sell the idea of space travel to the American public, instilling curiosity about the mysteries of the universe that ultimately made space exploration a part of the national identity.

Nearly a century before the moonshot, French-born artist and astronomer Étienne Léopold Trouvelot created stunning astronomical drawings, many using powerful telescopes at the Harvard Observatory and the US Naval Observatory. Trouvelot’s detailed images of Saturn, Jupiter, and other planets amplified the colors and features of these celestial bodies, turning them into objects of wonder and beauty. His 1882 book, The Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings Manual, and accompanying chromolithograph portfolio sets, made the science of astronomy accessible to a wider audience and helped to usher in public interest in amateur astronomy.