Jonge vrouw bij open raam in het maanlicht 1893

Herman Boulenger etched this print, "Young Woman at an Open Window in the Moonlight," in 1893. The crescent moon, a symbol of the waxing and waning of life, hangs in the sky, drawing our gaze. This celestial body has long held sway over human imagination, a silent witness to our earthly dramas. We see it in ancient Sumerian art, where it marked the passage of time and the cycles of life. Think of the goddess Diana, forever young, forever associated with the hunt and the wilderness, her bow mirroring the moon’s curve. Here, the woman, bathed in its ethereal glow, seems lost in reverie, her face tilted towards the heavens. The moon, often linked with melancholy and introspection, mirrors the inner life. In this case, the artist taps into something primal. The woman's face is a mask of longing, a timeless pose reflecting the enduring human quest for meaning beyond the earthly realm.