Maan in het derde kwartier before 1886

This photographic print of the moon in its third quarter captures an orb suspended against the stark infinity of space. The composition is simple but elegant. The moon’s rugged, cratered surface, rendered in shades of gray, dominates the visual field, and its texture invites tactile exploration, despite the fact it is a smooth photograph. Rutherford’s photograph invites consideration of the relationship between science and art. In this piece, scientific observation becomes an aesthetic experience, and the cold, hard data of astronomy transforms into an object of contemplation. Semiotically, the moon acts as a signifier, evoking ideas of time, cycles, and the sublime vastness of the cosmos. The photograph encourages us to destabilize the established boundaries between art and science and to engage with new ways of thinking about perception and representation. Ultimately, it is the photograph's scale and its stark contrast that provoke a sense of awe, mirroring the emotional and philosophical weight of humanity's engagement with the universe.