Space Engine 

Curator: Here we have John Conrad Berkey's "Space Engine," an oil painting. Its date is currently unknown. What's your immediate take on it? Editor: It's... intense. Chaotic, even. There's a real sense of movement and power, like something enormous is blasting through the cosmos. The colour palette, from the cool blues to the fiery oranges, is so evocative. Curator: Berkey was known for these kinds of spectacular sci-fi visuals. This artwork, I think, speaks to the grand narratives present in much science fiction of his time—think "Star Wars." Editor: True, the imagery pulls you right into that imaginative space. Looking closer at his application of paint, though, I wonder what kind of brushes and supports he favored. There's a visible texture and energy. How do these aesthetic decisions play into making something believable, a future within reach? Curator: Berkey made a significant impact on science fiction and space art through his paintings which ended up on the covers of books and magazines. His work helped to shape the visual culture surrounding the genre, legitimizing it. His paintings suggest a kind of hyper-industrialization, where scale has overridden considerations of sustainability, but it captures a very mid-century imagination of "progress". Editor: And the materiality gives a strange grounding effect. His strokes convey both scale and labor. When we think about how our realities are material constructions, Berkey's medium challenges viewers to reconcile tangible process with the futuristic visions they're viewing. Curator: It does give pause, considering the environmental impact of the imagined industry needed to power these visions. Editor: I'm still drawn to that explosion of oranges. The way the warm colors jut up against the blues really defines a visual tension. I am so very curious about what brand of oil paints he would've selected. Curator: Looking at this piece through the lens of artistic production, we can appreciate Berkey's impact and also the relationship between his art and the socio-political landscape. Editor: It gives us an excellent reminder to think critically about progress and aesthetics simultaneously. It makes this so much more than just a space painting.