When humanity looks at the sky, art is born
Since the beginning of civilization, the universe has been one of humanity's greatest sources of inspiration. Before science explained the movements of planets and stars, artists transformed celestial phenomena into myths, symbols and spiritual visions.
An eclipse, a comet, the movement of the planets or the infinite night sky have always represented something beyond the visible: mystery, transformation, destiny and the search for meaning.
Beyond the Eclipse explores how artists across centuries have interpreted the cosmos — from ancient civilizations observing the heavens to contemporary creators who transform galaxies, light and cosmic energy into new visual languages.
The Ancient Sky: Gods, Myths and Cosmic Order
For ancient cultures, the sky was not separated from human life. The movement of the sun, moon and planets determined calendars, agriculture and religious rituals.
Egyptian artists represented the sun god Ra travelling across the heavens. Greek mythology transformed planets and constellations into stories of gods and heroes. The Maya developed sophisticated astronomical knowledge and incorporated celestial cycles into their architecture and art.
The universe was understood as a living system, where humanity existed in harmony with cosmic forces.
Art was a bridge between Earth and the heavens.
The Renaissance: From Divine Cosmos to Scientific Universe
During the Renaissance, the vision of the universe changed dramatically.
Artists began combining philosophy, mathematics and observation. The human figure was placed at the centre of the known world, but curiosity about the heavens expanded.
The discoveries of Galileo Galilei and later astronomers transformed humanity's understanding of space. The telescope revealed that the universe was much larger than previously imagined.
Artists responded by exploring ideas of infinity, perspective, light and the relationship between humans and the cosmos.
The sky was no longer only a spiritual realm; it became a place of discovery.
Romanticism and the Sublime: The Universe as Emotion
In the 19th century, artists moved away from purely religious or scientific interpretations and began exploring the emotional experience of nature.
The night sky became a symbol of infinity, solitude and human vulnerability.
Artists such as Caspar David Friedrich portrayed humans standing before vast landscapes, reminding viewers of the immense scale of nature.
The cosmos became a mirror for human emotions: wonder, loneliness, hope and transcendence.
Modern Art: From Visible Space to Inner Universes
The 20th century brought a radical transformation.
Artists no longer needed to represent the universe realistically. Instead, they explored cosmic ideas through abstraction, colour, movement and emotion.
The discovery of galaxies beyond the Milky Way, space exploration and the first images of Earth from space changed humanity's perception of existence.
Abstract artists began creating their own universes:
- fields of colour suggesting cosmic energy;
- geometric structures inspired by planetary movement;
- organic forms resembling cells, nebulae and galaxies.
The cosmos became not only something outside us, but something within us.
The Space Age: When Humanity Reached the Stars
The 20th century space race created a new cultural relationship with the universe.
The first images of Earth from space changed the way humanity saw itself: one fragile planet floating in an immense cosmos.
Space exploration inspired generations of artists, designers and filmmakers. Science fiction became a new artistic language, imagining future worlds, distant civilizations and unknown dimensions.
The universe became a space of possibility.
The collection
That long conversation between people and the sky is still going on, and Beyond the Eclipse is our attempt to gather the present chapter of it in one place. Twenty-two works by eight artists, made between 2014 and 2026, in paint, photography, digital media and woven textile.
They do not illustrate astronomy. Mikha-ez, who holds a doctorate in fine arts and has exhibited three times at the Museo de Salamanca, works with meteorites and cartography as material rather than subject. Kasimir de Dalmau Oriol paints eclipses dedicated to Fernando Pessoa and Leopold Sedar Senghor. Katherine Zora-Vecchiarelli paints comets, black holes and birds looking upward at a scale that fits above a desk.
Prices run from $315 to $19,980, so the collection holds a first purchase and a room-defining work in the same body of thinking. Shipping is included worldwide and insured to full value, with fourteen days to return.