Visitors will want to cast their eyes to the sky to catch The Moon: ‘Houston, Tranquility Base Here. The Eagle Has Landed,’ the newest exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The display reflects five centuries of man’s curiosity and passion toward Earth’s nearest lunar neighbor.
Although discussions of the planets and their orbits may appear to meld more readily within the realms of natural science and history, the MFAH and actor Tom Hanks offer a different perspective.
‘Going to the moon was not just a technological endeavor, but an artistic one, like Michelangelo’s frescoes on the Sistine Chapel ceiling,’ Hanks said in the book Art, technology, and the American space program.
The flow of the exhibit mirrors the phases of the moon, and although it works well chronologically and thematically in theory, it somewhat lacks spatial continuity.
The rooms are equipped with globes, photographs, paintings, and a bona fide moon rock from the Apollo 16 mission.
Touring the rooms is like scanning through a history book, as the exhibit creates a reflective narrative illustrating the evolution of knowledge regarding the moon.
The moon’s influence on the imaginations of two French brothers inspired the creation of the first science fiction film.
In their 1902 film, A Trip to the Moon, the M’eacute;lies brothers infused innovation and imagination into the pop culture scene, and inspired an entire film genre loaded with action, special effects and existential questions of the nature of other realms and reality. ‘
In the 14 minute film, a group of brave astronomers build and launch a bullet-shaped rocket in an attempt to land on the moon. ‘
The astronomers crash the rocket into the eye of the man in the moon, and subsequently encounter the lunar natives who mystically appear from behind giant mushrooms.
As the movie unfolds, the M’eacute;lies brothers question the consequences of space exploration. It also examines whether or not attempting a lunar landing is part of mankind’s interplanetary Manifest Destiny.
Apollo 11 astronaut-turned-artist Alan Bean was the fourth man to walk on the moon, and the first artist to leave textured moon shoe footprints on his paintings. ‘
Bean’s 1984 Remembrances Of A Moonwalk: Self-Portrait With Flag depicts an astronaut with his right hand raised to his forehead with an American flag in the background.
‘Words and logic can’t explain these paintings completely, since they represent my feelings,’ Bean said.
Fascination with the moon pre-dates the space race. The allure of the unknown has captured the hearts and dreams of people for centuries.
This exhibit appeals to the inventor and inner existentialist in each of us, whose questions and interpretations drive our actions and enhance our understanding of the universe around us.
