The Moon
1928
The Moon is one of Tarsila do Amaral's most celebrated works, presenting a stylized nocturnal Brazilian landscape composed of undulating planes evoking land, water, and sky beneath a luminous crescent moon. A distinctive humanlike cactus anchors the foreground, embodying the spirit of Anthropophagia, the 1928 Brazilian modernist movement that championed the cultural digestion of European influence into a uniquely Brazilian identity. The composition demonstrates do Amaral's masterful synthesis of Parisian avant garde formal language with the flora, color, and mythology of her homeland. Currently on permanent view at MoMA, this painting is considered a cornerstone of Latin American modernism.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Spotted At
- Museum · MoMA
Notes
On view at MoMA, Floor 5, Room 509, The David Geffen Wing. Gallery label from 2023. The painting exemplifies Anthropophagia, the idea introduced in a 1928 manifesto by Brazilian poet Oswald de Andrade, that Brazil would forge its own art by digesting or literally cannibalizing European influence.
Est. Current Value
Spotted works by Tarsila do Amaral
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