Doubled Spaceships 1995

John Conrad Berkey made this painting, "Doubled Spaceships," and it looks like he used gouache to render these spacecrafts with expressive brushstrokes. I can only imagine Berkey at work, maybe in his studio, carefully planning the composition, or spontaneously applying the fluid paint to bring these visions to life. See how the gouache allows for a captivating interplay between opacity and translucency? The metallic hues give volume to these bizarre mechanical forms. I’m curious about this gesture, a vertical rocket, that pierces through the atmospheric expanse. The trails of vapor capture a dynamic sense of movement. The overall composition suggests not just a depiction of space travel but maybe a commentary on the human drive to explore beyond terrestrial confines. Berkey’s painting participates in a larger discourse about our fascination with the unknown, and the potential of human innovation, echoing the narrative and visual style of other science fiction artists.