In Plane Abstractions of Flight, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum photographer Carolyn Russo highlights the often-overlooked beauty of aircraft design. Drawing inspiration from artists like Robert Delaunay and Charles Sheeler, Russo employs fine art photography to reveal new visual dimensions of these powerful 20th-century symbols, transforming them into art. Her striking color photographs simplify the complexity of civil and military airplanes and spaceships into bold combinations of line, shape, light, and color. These images gain added intrigue as they depict iconic air and spacecraft from the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Russo's unconventional approach uncovers new layers of meaning, ranging from whimsical to profound, in the appearance of some of history's most revered flying machines. Alongside her discerning eye, scholarly text from NASM and the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery offers fresh perspectives on flight and photography, encouraging audiences to view the world anew. The book includes 90 color photographs, quotes from aviators, artists, and poets, historical captions for each aircraft, and interpretive essays by Anne Collins Goodyear, who specializes in the intersection of art, science, and technology.
