Sebastian Pether (1790-1844) - Moonlit River Scene with a Capriccio of Ruins, 1842

 

Sebastian Pether (1790-1844) - Moonlit River Scene with a Capriccio of Ruins, 1842

Ohara Koson - Long - eared owl on bare tree branch

 

Ohara Koson - Long eared owl on bare tree branch

Kawase Hasui - Beautiful night - moon and stars , Miyajima Shrine, 1928

 

Kawase Hasui - Beautiful night - moon and stars , Miyajima Shrine, 1928

Yoshijiro Urushibara (1888 - 1953) - Nocturne

 

Yoshijiro Urushibara (1888 - 1953)  - Nocturne

Karl Liebscher (1851-1906) - An Amorous Couple in Moonlight

 

Karl Liebscher (1851-1906)  - An Amorous Couple in Moonlight

Johan Jongkind - Clair de lune à Overschie, 1855

 

Johan Jongkind - Clair de lune à Overschie, 1855

Yoshijiro Urushibara - Stonehenge (Moonlight)

 

Yoshijiro Urushibara - Stonehenge (Moonlight)

Friederich Capelari - White Birds on Pomegranate Tree at Night, 1915

 

Friederich Capelari - White Birds on Pomegranate Tree at Night, 1915

Biho Takashi - Bat in Moon, ca 1905

 

Biho Takashi - Bat in Moon, ca 1905

Eugene Carriere - The Contaemplator, 1901

 

Eugene Carriere - The Contaemplator, 1901

This painting illustrating Victor Hugo's poem Boaz Sleeping is one of five images Carrière created to commemorate the centennial of Hugo's birth. A reclining poet gazes at the stars above, as if in a dream, placing one hand over his heart and gesturing toward a crescent moon. The moon was thought to exert a special influence on poets and artists, inspiring not only creativity but darker thoughts of melancholy and suicide.