| Creator | Anna Stakanova |
| Media Form | Graphite Drawing |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Technique | Graphite on paper |
| Date and Location | Hoofddorp, Netherlands 2019 |
| Publication Information | Posted on website for buying and selling art |
| Natural Phenomenon Represented | Lunar Rings/Moon Halos |
Originally while researching for this post, I was planning to use cloud iridescence as my topic, and while looking for representations of cloud iridescence I had come across this Wikipedia article about lunar halos. It interested me as I had never heard of this phenomenon before, so I began to look deeper into it. As I did that, I came across the cover image, and began my research on it.
I first began by researching what lunar halos are. According to Robert Lee, lunar halos — also referred to as moon halos, moon rings, and lunar rings, are a result of light refraction throughout ice crystals in the atmosphere that create the optical illusion of a ring about the moon. These crystals are suspended within thin cirrus clouds.
This specific representation of lunar halos is a graphite on paper drawing. The most common from of graphite is pencils. This drawing of lunar halos is made using pencils on papers. There are multiple different techniques that are used to create different looks. This article by the Metropolitan Museum of Art explains that there are different levels of graphite hardness which causes different shades of color. The two most common levels of hardness are defined by “H” and ”B”. H standing for hardness and B standing for blackness. H pencils create lighter strokes as the graphite is harder preventing the lead from breaking down. B pencils are softer allowing the graphite to breakdown easier, leading to darker colored strokes. More likely than not, this drawing also used the technique of erasing to create highlights within the artwork. Kneaded erasers, which are soft and malleable, as well as typical erasers, like the ones on the end of a pencil, can both be used to pick up pigment off of the paper, creating lighter spots and highlights.
As for my personal interpretation of this representation, I see this drawing as someone looking up into the unknown with wonder and ambition. As we know, moon travel was once not as obtainable as it is now. And even for the normal person it’s not obtainable unless you’re an astronaut. For most people the moon was, and still remains ultimately mysterious. Many people are also unaware of lunar rings as they aren’t a very common phenomena. So by combining both the mystery of the moon and the phenomenon of the rings, I interpret this piece as someone looking up into the unknown with the ambition to figure out the “mystery”, which in this specific representation happens to be the moon.
