The Art of Space: The History of Space Art, from the Earliest Visions to the Graphics of the Modern Era - Hardcover

Miller, Ron

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0760346569 ISBN 13: 9780760346563

Publisher: Zenith Press, 2014

The Art of Space is the most comprehensive celebration of space art ever to be published, profiling the development of space-based art in a variety of media. In The Art of Space, award-winning artist and best-selling author Ron Miller presents over 350 high-quality and often photorealistic images that chart how artists throughout history, working with the knowledge and research available during their time, have endeavored to construct realistic images of visions throughout the universe. Beginning with depictions of space ships, unmanned probes, and space stations, Miller moves through collections that also illustrate the planets, moons, galaxies, and stars; cities, colonies, and space habitats; and possible alien life. The artwork presented here has been created in a variety of media, from the woodcuts and oil paintings of the Victorian and Edwardian eras to the digitally enhanced work of contemporary artists. Each chapter also includes two special features: one profile of an artist or group of artists of particular influence and one sidebar discussion of general cultural topics, such as the use of space art for propaganda purposes during the Cold War or the impact of the digital revolution on the resources available to artists. A fascinating study on the intersection of science and the artistic imagination, The Art of Space shows how astronomy and space travel has been reflected in popular art and public perception over the past two centuries. With forewords from Carolyn Porco and Dan Durda, this book is the ultimate resource for space art fans.

About the Author:

Ron Miller is an award-winning artist and best-selling author who has writtenof over 50fifty books, including The Grand Tour, Cycles of Fire, In the Stream of Stars, and The History of Earth. His illustrations and artwork hashave been featured in National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Scientific American, Smithsonian, Air and& Space/Smithsonian, Newsweek, and Natural History and has appeared in collections at the Smithsonian Institutione and the Pushkin Museum. He has contributed to Hollywood projects by David Lynch, George Miller, John Ellis, UFO Films and James Cameron, and others, as well as onincluding notable films Dune(1984) and an unproduced version of Total Recall. Personal Website: http://www.black-cat-studios.com/Facebook: Personal Website

Review:

"...this is a phenomenal book to browse. The sections all provide incredible glimpses of the history of space art, with thematic sections on planets and moons, stars and galaxies, spaceships and space stations, space colonies and cities, and aliens. This is a bit of a bible for the space art genre. If you're interested in this subject, it's a book that you're simply going to have to have." - Astronomy.com

"The Art of Space is a wonderful coffee table book encompassing beautiful pictures and text to give the reader an idea of how space and technology have evolved throughout history. I had a wonderful afternoon sitting with my son (7) looking at all the pictures and, with little prompt, hearing his own interpretation to what they depict. For art lovers, space lovers and science fiction lovers, this book will not disappoint" - ManOfLABook.com

"You have to love a collection of space art. Or at least I certainly do. And this one put together by Ron Miller (no mean artist himself) is one of the better ones I've run across. This coffee table-sized book arrived for review probably a month or so ago and I've been going through it every day since, enjoying the wide variety of the various artists' visions. It's lovely stuff, and considering the size and fine production values, a real bargain as well." - Fantasy & Science Fiction

"The Art of Space is a beautiful publication and printing directly on the cover, rather than on a dust jacket, adds an element of elegance to this coffee table-style book. It is filled with paintingsand images of space-themed art and visions of galaxies and planets imagined... this is the book's strength--a collection of truly amazing art. The snippets accompanying each piece of art with fascinating stories, random facts, or insights is definitely a highlight." - Quest: The History of Spaceflight

"In his new book, The Art of Space, author Ron Miller explores both how we developed the technology necessary for space travel and how that technology has steadily migrated from science fiction to science fact." - Gizmodo

"Hold onto your hats. It's going to be a wild ride. Ron Miller is an illustrator specializing in science, astronomy, science fiction and fantasy and the author, co-author or editor of more than 50 books. He has designed postage stamps and worked on motion pictures as a production designer and special effects artist. His most recent book is The Art of Space: The History of Space Art, from the Earliest Visions to the Graphics of the Modern Era (Zenith Press, 2014)." - LIFE Magazine

"A former art director at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the award-winning artist is the author of 50-plus books, including what's considered the most comprehensive volume on astronomical art, The Art of Space." - QUARTZ

"It would be a fantastic gift for anyone you know interested in space art or the history of visions of space travel, or for amateur astronomers." - GeekDad.com