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6 : The Moon Shot Series I n Hogue we find a compelling example of an artist whose work direction continuously evolved over time. A fierce dedication to the idea of freedom and independence led to ways that bridge the gap between art and life. Extending the vocabulary of his painting from the conceptually based abstractions on which he concentrated throughout the 1960s and ’70s, Hogue initiated a more intimate connection with universal elements that echo forms in nature: circles, spirals, crosses, ellipses. Without the constraints of the art market or the aspersions of critical response, Hogue began to commingle increasingly overt references to science and technology, ranging from an awareness of atomic energy to a fascination with space exploration, especially NASA’s program to reach the moon. Hogue did not see art, nature , science, and daily life as separate pursuits, but as different manifestations of similar phenomena. Like the millions who watched on television as humans walked on the lunar surface for the first time, Hogue experienced feelings of awe and humility . Whereas the great adventure ennobled the human species , it also reaffirmed that the earth is a living organism and is more fragile than we realized. No one had ever been far enough away to see the earth as a cohesive unit—a delicate, tiny ball suspended in infinite blackness. There is Earth, spinning in space, a blue and green paradise ringed with clouds. And there is the moon’s surface, up close and forbidding, with shadowy craters like pockmarks. For Hogue, it was an opportunity to probe the magic of space exploration in its physical, spiritual, and psychological aspects. In the seven paintings that comprise the Moon Shot series, Hogue gives us a glimpse of another world—a mysterious region in which light, movement, and color all combine to produce a singular effect. Whereas the artist is enthralled by speed, rockets, and high technology, he is just as curious about what might lie around the curve of the cosmos. Here the reaching 126 chapter 6 dering in ecstatic bursts of energy. The universe is understood as dancing energy patterns interweaving a single continuum. “I don’t know why on earth I wouldn’t be inspired by such a thing!” Hogue said. “I just couldn’t contain myself. The whole idea appealed to me and I wasn’t going to miss any of it. I made sketches right there in front of the TV, and then NASA put out that wonderful book of photographs, which were very detailed, but not the way I wanted to conceive the series. My attitude was everything should be made with the moon form—the lunette or crescent. They’re all flat, but full of space. There isn’t a bit of modeling in any of the Moon Shot paintings. All the forms are perfectly flat—no texture, just straight up—yet you would swear that they have a three-dimensional effect. I see no point in merely copying the beautiful photographs brought back by the astronauts as some artists have done.” The almost hypnotic power of Hogue’s paintings is in part the result of his insistence that we examine closely the things or phenomena we have never looked at before. In the Moon Shot series, he establishes a spare and taut equilibrium of few visual elements whose immediate impact is as compelling as the psychological jolt of crossing space in rockets. There is an evident sincerity, diligence, and restraint, coupled with a momentous subject of historical scale and cultural impact. Certainly, Hogue felt privileged to have witnessed the singular event, whatever its legacy as seen through the eyes of later generations. In the 1960s, going to the moon was a galvanizing fantasy for millions of Americans and Russians. Hogue’s Moon Shot works invite meditation on the aspirations of technology and humanity’s ventures beyond its native planet. In Lift Off (1973), the rocket surges through amorphous veils of gray and blue atmospheric effects toward the ether. Trailing a fiery inferno in its wake, we can almost hear the visceral roar and feel the heat of spewing flames. The shock waves sent forth from the blast are but a reminder that the “adventure” is no slight accomplishment. Rather, it is testing the limits of human experience and boundaries without a safety net. Passing over Tsiolkovsky (1973), named for the Russian scientist who was the first human to draw up concepts for rockets in space travel, seemingly coalesces earth and moon in galactic...

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