Gazing at the Moon: Ar#st s depic#ons of the moon across #me. by Caroline Maxwell Art 106 May 2015

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1 Gazing at the Moon: Ar#st s depic#ons of the moon across #me by Caroline Maxwell Art 106 May 2015

2 This exhibit will take place at the Griffith Park Observatory. The observatory has ample exhibi#on space, and would be able to host nightly moon viewings through its telescope in conjunc#on with the art exhibi#on.

3 Caspar David Friedrich Two Men Contempla.ng the Moon Oil on Canvas Metropolitan Museum of Art This pain#ng shows the ar#st himself (on the right) and a young ar#st friend contempla#ng the moon. Typical of German Roman#cism, Friedrich s figures have their backs to the viewers, allowing us to par#cipate in the quiet contempla#on of nature s sublime and mys#cal beauty.

Ancient Egyp@an Two Baboons Offering the Wedjat Eye to the Sun God Khepri, Who Holds the Underworld Sign 330 B.C.

4 Ancient Two Baboons Offering the Wedjat Eye to the Sun God Khepri, Who Holds the Underworld Sign 330 B.C. Carved Limestone Metropolitan Museum of Art Egyp#an god Thoth, is some#mes depicted as a baboon. Full moon circles appear over their heads. Baboons were associated with the moon as they were nocturnal animals, and they would go to sleep every morning at sunrise. Likewise, the Lunar god Thoth would greet the Sun god every morning, as depicted here.

Jackson Pollock Moon Woman 1942 Oil on canvas The Guggenheim Museum This example of Jackson Pollock s earlier surrealist pain#ng style is influenced by everything from ritualis#c art, Jungian

5 Jackson Pollock Moon Woman 1942 Oil on canvas The Guggenheim Museum This example of Jackson Pollock s earlier surrealist pain#ng style is influenced by everything from ritualis#c art, Jungian Psychology, and Egyp#an art. Pollock was likely inspired by the famous Baudelaire poem Favors of the Moon, which reads, image of the fearful goddess, the fateful godmother, the poisonous nurse of all the moonstruck of the world.

Ōtagaki Rengetsu Hanging Scroll With Autumn Moon Edo- Meiji Period (19 th century) Ink on Paper Los Angeles County Museum of Art Rengetsu was a Zen Buddhist nun, who wrote poetry, created works of

6 Ōtagaki Rengetsu Hanging Scroll With Autumn Moon Edo- Meiji Period (19 th century) Ink on Paper Los Angeles County Museum of Art Rengetsu was a Zen Buddhist nun, who wrote poetry, created works of ceramics, pain#ngs and calligraphy. Her name, which she took when she became a nun, means Lotus Moon. This scroll features one of her poems: [Walking Along the Shore of Akashi Bay] I try to pick out Pebbles [=words] beau.ful enough To describe the sight Of the autumn moon Over Akashi Bay.

Galileo Galilei Drawings of the Moon November- December 1609 ink on paper Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale These ink pain#ngs show the moon as Galileo observed it through one of the first

7 Galileo Galilei Drawings of the Moon November- December 1609 ink on paper Florence, Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale These ink pain#ngs show the moon as Galileo observed it through one of the first telescopes in They are the first realis#c illustra#ons of the moon and all of its details in history. it is seen that the Moon is most evidently not at all of an even, smooth and regular surface, as a great many people believe of it and of the other heavenly bodies, but on the contrary it is rough and unequal similar, but much larger, to the mountains and valleys spread over the Earth s surface.

William Blake The Wandering Moon 1816 20 Watercolor on paper Morgan Library and Museum, N.Y.

8 William Blake The Wandering Moon Watercolor on paper Morgan Library and Museum, N.Y. This is one of a collec#on of illustra#ons that William Blake produced, based upon the poetry of Milton. Milton s passage describes the scene: To behold the wandering moon Riding near her highest noon Like one that had been led astray Through the heaven s wide pathless way.

9 Nicholas Poussin Selene and Endymion 1630 Oil on canvas Detriot Ins#tute of the Arts Selene was the Greek Goddess of the Moon, (Also known as Artemis) and the twin sister of Apollo, the Sun God. This pain#ng shows Selene on one of her nightly visits to her love, the eternally youthful Endymion.

10 Henri Rousseau The Sleeping Gypsy 1897 Oil on canvas Museum of Modern Art Henri Rousseau was a self- taught ar#st. His works display a dream- like, visionary quality and are admired for their lyrical and poe#c s#llness. This pain#ng shows a nocturnal moon- lit scene which best exemplifies the unique atmosphere of the ar#st s work.

Vincent Van Gogh Evening Landscape with Rising Moon 1889 Oil on canvas Kröller- Müller Museum This pain#ng by Van Gogh was once thought to depict the sunrise, but it has been proven by astronomers to

11 Vincent Van Gogh Evening Landscape with Rising Moon 1889 Oil on canvas Kröller- Müller Museum This pain#ng by Van Gogh was once thought to depict the sunrise, but it has been proven by astronomers to actually depict the moonrise on July 13, At this #me, we know that Van Gogh was interested in depic#ng various nocturnal scenes, even wri#ng to his brother about this fascina#on: "One of the most beau.ful things by the painters of this century has been the pain.ng of DARKNESS that is s.ll COLOR."

Ansel Adams Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico 1941 Gela#n Silver Print New Mexico Museum of Art This image is one of Adams most popular photographs.

12 Ansel Adams Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico 1941 Gela#n Silver Print New Mexico Museum of Art This image is one of Adams most popular photographs. Adams printed over 1,300 copies of this photo during his life#me, and one of those prints recently auc#oned for $609,000. Adams took the shot while on a road trip with his son, and he describes the urgency with which he had to work in order to #me the ligh#ng and composi#on of the shot. Of this image, he says, Some may consider this photograph a "tour de force" but I think of it as a rather normal photograph of a typical New Mexican landscape. Twilight photography is unfortunately neglected; what may be drab and uninteres.ng by daylight may assume a magnificent quality in the half- light between sunset and dark.

Ar#st: Pablo Picasso

Ar#st: Pablo Picasso Ar#st: Pablo Picasso Title: Guernica Ar#st: Pablo Picasso Title: Guernica Date: 1937 Ar#st: Pablo Picasso Title: Guernica Date: 1937 Medium: oil on panel Ar#st: Pablo Picasso Title: