Mark One

1974-1978

tempera on canvas 112x82 cm

Dedicated Werner Von Braun

The name Mark derives from Mars, god of war. Here, ‘Mark One’ is the name given to the belltower of the ‘Basilica di San Marco’.

Wernher Von Braun (March 23, 1912 – June 16, 1977) was a German-born rocket scientist, aerospace engineer, space architect and one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Nazi Germany and, subsequently, the United States. As the head of the German missile system, Von Braun's interest in rockets was specifically oriented towards space travel.

On December 22nd 1942, Adolf Hitler signed the order approving the production of the V2 rocket as a ‘vengeance weapon’ and the research group headed by Von Braun developed it to target London. The first combat V2 rocket (technically named the ‘Aggregat 4’) was launched on September 7th 1944, only 21 months after the project had been officially commissioned. Upon hearing the news that it had hit London, Von Brown said, ‘The rocket worked perfectly except for landing on the wrong planet.’