Untitled [Moonlight Play] c. 1942

This lithograph, made by James Russell Sherman, presents a night scene dominated by the image of the moon. The moon, a symbol of the cyclical and the feminine, has been a powerful presence in art across cultures, from ancient lunar deities to its romantic presence in later paintings. Here, the moon casts an ethereal glow over a modern, American scene. This juxtaposition of the ancient symbol of the moon with modern industry is fascinating. We see a town at night, complete with automobiles and a transportation company, all bathed in the moon's symbolic light. This might remind us of Caspar David Friedrich who used the symbol of the moon to evoke human emotions. Like the moon, the images we create are never truly new but continually resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings, reflecting our collective, cultural memory.