Psyche Inspired
Learn more about the Psyche Inspired program and view other works
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Psyche Inspired: Dante Raso
Institution: Pennsylvania state university
Major: astronomy & astrophysics: painting & drawing
Psyche Inspired Class: 2022-2023
Reflections on Psyche Inspired
Reflections on Project 1: in our sights
in our sights
Dante raso
Major: Astronomy & Astrophysics; Painting and Drawing BFA
Genre/Medium: Surreal / Oil on Canvas / paintbrushes
About the work: ”In Our Sight” is a surreal oil painting that conveys the human connection to the cosmos, our innate curiosity about it and our own origins, and now, thanks to the Psyche mission, our ability to feed some of that curiosity. This piece is a juxtaposition of the micro (the human iris with its intricate structure) against the macro, (the image of Psyche against the background of the cosmos) as well as a comparison between the beauty that is found both in human biology and outer space. The original concept was much more complex, involving a depiction of the data visualization that would be constructed after the craft completed its orbits and surveys, and more surreal elements involving craft machinery / instrumentation and equations relating to the mission. I opted for something more simple and striking after doing a few sketches.
Reflections on Project 2: Impact & Re-Accretion
Impact & Re-Accretion
Dante raso
Impact & Re-Accretion
Dante raso
Major: Astronomy & Astrophysics; Painting and Drawing BFA
Genre/Medium: Oil paint on canvas
About the work: These two paintings are an abstract interpretation of two leading theories for the formation of the Psyche asteroid. The first painting depicts the high-speed, energetic collision between the differentiated planetesimal and another body, exposing the metallic core that would become the asteroid we know today. The second painting depicts another theory for the formation of Psyche: the re-accretion of mantle and crust layers onto a metallic core after a collision.
Major: Astronomy & Astrophysics; Painting and Drawing BFA
Genre/Medium: Oil paint on canvas
About the work: These two paintings are an abstract interpretation of two leading theories for the formation of the Psyche asteroid. The first painting depicts the high-speed, energetic collision between the differentiated planetesimal and another body, exposing the metallic core that would become the asteroid we know today. The second painting depicts another theory for the formation of Psyche: the re-accretion of mantle and crust layers onto a metallic core after a collision.
Reflections on Project 3: Art of the craft
Art of the craft
Dante raso
Major: Astronomy & Astrophysics; Painting and Drawing BFA
Genre/Medium: Digital
About the work: For this project, I wanted to focus more on the scientists, engineers, and programmers who worked hard on the construction of the craft, the science behind the instruments, and calculations of space travel. I chose to work from a photograph of the Psyche craft being constructed, overlayed with my interpretation of the asteroid in the background. I chose to include the color scheme from the Psyche mission itself. I did this piece digitally using Photoshop.
