On Saturn's Moon

“Titan Lake in a Haze”
Artwork by Kees Veenenbos.

Copyrighted by Kees Veenenbos. Used by permission.

I think that the most demanding branch of art today has to be depictions of astronomy. The artist has to know about the scientific attributes of his subject and then he has to use those attributes to imagine an object in space. All this in addition to the usual artistic concerns about color and presentation makes this a most demanding art form.

Kees Veenenbos is one of the world’s premier artists. His art has been featured in major magazines and television shows the world over.

The picture above invites you to imagine standing on Titan, the large moon of Saturn. You are looking at a lake of liquid methane. The color of the sky is the result of the composition of the atmosphere (yes, Titan is big enough to have one) and the light conditions. The temperature is incredibly cold – near absolute zero. The South Pole on Earth would be sultry in comparison.

In my own mind, I imagine constructing a small sail boat to go onto the lake. But where would the materials come from? These kinds of thoughts are the lure of space art to me. These works are an invitation to imagine.

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For further information see Mr. Veenenbos' work at www.space4case.com.