Phases of the Moon III 1942

Paul Delvaux painted ‘Phases of the Moon III’ with oils on canvas, but when I look at this painting, I can see an entire world contained within it. It feels like a theater set, so what's the play about? We could say it's about life's big mysteries, the kind that keep you up at night asking big questions while peering through a telescope. Two figures stand together, observing something above. The artist's attention to detail pulls you into the scene, making you wonder what they see. Delvaux’s paintings, like those of many artists, show an ongoing conversation across time. In that conversation, he uses visual language to respond to other artists and other ideas. Art is like talking to other people through painting. We artists learn from each other, inspiring each other's creativity.