Outpassage paperback cover 1988

Editor: So, this is John Berkey's cover art for "Outpassage," from 1988, done with oil paints. The sleek spaceships and glowing colours are immediately striking! I find it quite awe-inspiring. What jumps out at you when you see this? Curator: Immediately, I note the interplay between line and volume. The sharp, angular shapes of the title lettering, literally built into the spacecraft, juxtapose against the rounded forms of the planets and the spacecraft's fuselage. Berkey masterfully manipulates perspective, forcing the viewer’s eye to travel the canvas. Do you perceive how the thrust lines mimic and reinforce this dynamic? Editor: I see what you mean. The lines really do guide you around the composition. Does the artist’s choice of medium affect how the image is read? Curator: Indeed. Oil paint allows Berkey to achieve a unique luminosity and blending of colour which enhance the almost ethereal quality of the cosmic scene. Observe the gradients of light on the rounded planet: almost dreamlike in execution, a very material translation of light. The surface texture invites scrutiny. Consider also the textual contrast between hard metallic forms and nebulous trails. Editor: It’s amazing how the choice of colours accentuates that distinction too. Is it fair to suggest this tension enhances the narrative implied by the image? Curator: Precisely. The dynamism introduced via tonal arrangement is suggestive of movement; an act of outpassage. I am reminded that futurist paintings also had the same inclination for the manipulation of sharp and bright light, a technique often mirrored by modern day cinema! Editor: Fascinating! I never really considered all those formal qualities contributing to the image’s futuristic quality and sense of movement. Thanks for clarifying! Curator: A rewarding conversation, illustrating the power of close reading within artistic contexts.