The Color of the Moon: Lunar Painting in American Art

Accompanying the first comprehensive exhibition of the moon in American art from the 19th through the 20th centuries, this lavishly illustrated catalog also commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing in July 1969. In five chronologically arranged essays, cocurators Vookles (Hudson River Museum) and Bland (Lehman Coll. Art Gallery, City of New York), along with other distinguished contributors, examine how the moon has fascinated artists and viewers for more than 150 years. They connect representations of the moon to cultural, historical, political, and social contexts and discuss how artists interpreted the moon during different time periods and in association with various movements and schools. Additional essays cover the color of the moon, its symbolism, and dichotomies connoted by the moon. They also shed light on the enduring relationship between art and lunar science. Featured throughout are 64 works by well-known American artists, including Thomas Cole, Jasper Francis Cropsey, Frederic Edwin Church, Albert Bierstadt, Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, Norman Rockwell, and Jamie Wyeth.