Talking To The Moon 

Lucia Heffernan painted 'Talking to the Moon' with oil, yet the date of its creation remains unconfirmed. At first glance, the artwork presents a rather simple scene, a fox gazing at the crescent moon. However, the title suggests a dialogue. In many cultures the moon is perceived as a symbol of mystery, change and intuition. What we need to ask ourselves is, what is the fox saying? Is it a prayer, a lament, a philosophical query, or something else entirely? As a historian, the fox, positioned as a cunning trickster in Western folklore, invites me to consider deeper social critiques embedded within the painting. Is Heffernan commenting on societal alienation, using the solitary fox as a metaphor for the unheard voices within a community? Could the moon represent an unyielding, perhaps divine, authority to which the fox appeals? By exploring Heffernan’s background, along with the cultural contexts of animal symbolism, we can move towards understanding what the fox is communicating.