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Week 9 | Space + Art

This week Professor Vesna provided insights on how Space has influenced Art. I learned that Nicolaus Copernicus, Polish astronomer and mathematician, was the first to publish a heliocentric model of the solar system in the 16th century. This was the first time the idea that sun was the center of the solar system was explained scientifically in mathematical detail. Later on, in the 17th century, the telescope was invented and marked the beginning of a new era filled with extraordinary discoveries.


I also learned that the Space Race was started in 1961 by the launch of Sputnik, a satellite, by the USSR. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin, Russian astronaut, became the first human in space. Alan Shepard, American astronaut, followed about a month later. In 1962, John Glenn became the first human to circle the Earth. Ultimately, these events led to the Apollo missions, and in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human on the moon.


In today's society, the influence space has on art can be seen in various films. For example, The Martian is a film directed by Ridley Scott which revolves around an astronaut and his experience trying to survive on Mars after being left behind by his former crew. In addition, Arrival is a film directed by Denis Villeneuve in which a linguist is enlisted by the US Army in order to figure out how to communicate with aliens who have recently landed on Earth.


 Overall, Space certainly has influenced Art in numerous ways.




Works Cited

“Arrival (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrival_(film).

“Nicolaus Copernicus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolaus_Copernicus.

“Sutori.” Sutori, www.sutori.com/story/the-space-race-in-the-1960-s--JJrXM5VYvrkUUA6DqDexALfc.

“The Martian (Film).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 May 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_(film).

Vesna, Victoria. “Space Intro.” YouTube, UC Online, 26 Mar. 2012, youtu.be/zzN08A6UBoo.



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