This work opens a reflection on a new mythology of the 20th century, inspired by space exploration. It is about Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Terechkova, the first man and woman to fly into space, like Adam and Eve of the new cosmic era.
The artist experiments with cultural codes: the painting of frescoes and icons, indigenous masks, the painting of the Russian avant-garde, the scientific illustration of astronomical atlases.
The text reproduces Gagarin's words:
"I looked at the spaceship in which I was to embark on an unprecedented journey. It was beautiful, more beautiful than a locomotive, than a steamer, than a plane, than all the palaces and bridges in the world. I thought its beauty would be immortal. I had before me not only a remarkable creation of technology, but also an impressive work of art.
"I was sick with something that has no name among men of Art: the nostalgia for Space"
Keywords: dark blue, gold, white, portrait, cosmic
