The Moon has been looming overtop of humans since before recorded history. The silent counterpart to the mighty sun, the moon is ever present in our eyes, our minds, and in our imagination. The way the moon has been weaved into different mythologies, religions, traditions, and cultures from all around the world is astounding but also not surprising, as the moon is something we all experience. This introspective look at artworks featuring the Moon strives to make comparisons between works that span centuries and many different style and mediums, all of whom share the same goal of depicting something we see every night, the Moon. 

33 Items in this Learning Collection
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Copyright
All Rights Reserved ()

Moon over Lausanne

Accession Number
1991/2.72

Title
Moon over Lausanne

Artist(s)
Joseph Mallord William Turner

Artist Nationality
British (modern)

Object Creation Date
1836

Medium & Support
watercolor and graphite on paper

Dimensions
9 1/8 in. x 13 1/16 in. ( 23.1 cm x 33.2 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of Helmut Stern

Subject matter
An atmospheric landscape with figures in the foreground and a full moon over the city of Lausanne in the distance.

Physical Description
Three figures stand in the bottom left corner. The image is mostly tan and light blue except very dark in the center. The blue horizon line is in the top third of the image stretching from a cityscape on the left side to a sweeping hill on the right side. There is a small moon in the middle at the very top of the image.

Primary Object Classification
Drawing

Primary Object Type
landscape

Additional Object Classification(s)
Drawing

Collection Area
Western

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
landscapes (representations)
moons
valleys (landforms)
watercolors (paintings)

1 Related Resource

Celestial bodies
(Part of: Natural World)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted