The Moon Around the World: Lunar Fascination in the 19th Century

For years the world has been fascinated with the moon. Civilizations in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, along with many others, all share an interest in studying this nighttime heavenly body. This exhibit shows this common interest through a select body of work from various cultures, focusing particularly on works spanning the 19th century which was marked by its lunar obsession. Art historians have called this era “the Lunar Period,” and it is rightly named so, though the attempt to depict the moon has roots in the 1600s and even farther back. Between the 1820s and 1840s, huge advances in astronomy allowed scientists, artists, and the general public to see in detail what the moon looked like. The first photograph of the moon was taken in the 1840s, and several years, earlier graphs and maps were made which had more clearly explained the topography of the moon. With this new knowledge, the world turned part of its focus on the sky, developing culture-specific interpretations of the scientific images seen through telescopes and cameras. These tools brought the human form into communication with the heavenly body in a way that spoke to each culture via a common motif in painting. What is amazing is how similar the pieces are to each other. From prints and woodcuts in Japan to oil landscapes in Dresden, Germany, the moon and people observing the moon transcend the cultures in which they were created and yet bring elements of each culture in their singular styles.

Unknown, Mohammed Splits the Moon, 16th century (Persia)

Watercolor, Saxon State Library, Dresden Germany

The fascination with the moon started way back in the 16th century, particularly in The Middle East. Besides having astrological significance, the moon also possessed religious importance. Behind this painting, the story goes that Mohammed of the Muslim tradition preformed the miracle of splitting the moon in two. Interesting, the moon is personified, having been depicted with a face. Scholars say that there is a Muslim prophecy indicating that the moon will split again when the day of judgment approaches. From this, the moon then gained heavy symbolic meaning and so was depicted for centuries to come.

Unknown, Radha at Night, c. 1650

Mughal painting (gouache on paper), Kupferstichkabinett Berlin

The Indians as well displayed a deep regard for all natural things, in particular the moon. In this piece, Radha, deeply loving companion and friend of Krishna, the god whose name means “black” or “dark”, combs her hair as she prepares and pampers herself. The fact that Hinduism, Islam, and later Christianity all incorporate the moon prominently into their art is fascinating and suggests the power that the moon has in cultures worldwide. The simplicity of the moon in this piece contrasts the face seen in Mohammed Splitting the Moon.

Casper David Friedrich, Two Men Contemplating the Moon, 1825-30

Oil on canvas, Met Museum, 2000.51

This oil painting by Casper David Friedrich was the final iteration of three studies, the second, Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, also being in this collection. The moon, though small, takes center stage; the two men in the artwork study it, the large tree curves towards it. It was at this time that the newest studies of the moon reached the public. Two German astronomers created a four part map of the topography and a book entitled, the Moon, which imparted all that science knew at the time about the moon. Friedrich would have heard about these advancements and joined in the fascination and excitement of new discovery, seen in his Romantic paintings.

Casper David Friedrich, Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon, 1820

Oil on canvas, Alte Nationalgalerie

As a second iteration of Two Men Contemplating the Moon, this piece, made in 1820, shows a different side of the same idea that Friedrich originally had. The moon is paler and less prominent, but the focus is still drawn to it. Also, according to an article by the Met about this piece’s final iteration, it mentions that the moon’s lighting is also changed. These changes in unison with the lighting change forces the painting to be set at dusk in the spring. While Friedrich was trying to keep the idea roughly similar, his changes impacted the meaning behind the moon and other things in the artwork.

Teisai Hobuka, Woman Looking at the Moon, 1800-1844

Japanese woodcut print, Cleveland Art Museum, CAMIO:CMA_.1985.260

Woman Looking at the Moon is a great example of the 19th century’s love of the moon. While the precise date is a little unclear, this piece created around 1800-1844, lands right in the height of the Lunar Period. Interestingly, in Japan, the moon symbolizes autumn; Teisai Hokuba would have known this and so inking the moon into his work would have brought the meaning along with it. The woman’s facial expression too suggests a rapturous attention to the moon. This romantic notion of deep emotion displayed in a work of art echoes the Romanticism of Friedrich’s landscapes. 

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, #55 Fukami Jikyu Challenges the Moon, 1885-1892 (June 1887)

Color Japanese woodblock prints, Los Angelos County Museum, CAMIO: LACM.M84.31.29

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s impressive One Hundred Aspects of the Moon is another perfect example of the Lunar Period’s obsession. I chose the 55th aspect, Fukami Jikyu Challenges the Moon, due to the fact that the man in the woodblock print is boldly gazing at the moon. As the title implies, he challenges the moon, suggesting a level of pride in his stance and dress, different than what the rest of the collection portrays. The moon itself seems standard, but the man’s gaze holds it fixed, making it more prominent than just background. This fixation allows this piece to fit nicely with the overall theme of the exhibit.

Winslow Homer, Rowing Home, 1890

Watercolor, American Art, The Phillips Collection

Even America addressed the issue of the moon. However, in 1890, Winslow Homer left the symbolism behind in his watercolor landscape of men in a boat at night, with the moon blood red in the sky. Homer was part of Realism, an art movement that rejected the idyllic collage of history painting and the high intellect of the Renaissance. He addressed the world as he saw it, not how other said it had to look, like in representational or naturalistic works, but how the landscape spoke him. To him, focusing on the realistic, physical moon was more important than on any symbolism that was historically tied to it.