Lorraine Carey

@lalawriter71.bsky.social

Indie Writer, Ghost Writer, Retired Teacher, Empath and Tree Hugger living my best life in Florida.

@mmcarthur.bsky.socialReposted by @lalawriter71.bsky.social

George Copeland Ault (1891–1948) : January Full Moon, 1941 Oil on canvas 51.43 × 67 cm | 20.25 × 26.38 in The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO Further description in the alt text 👇

The painting depicts a solitary, stark barn nestled in a snow-covered landscape under the pallid glow of a full moon in Woodstock, New York. Ault was loosely aligned with Precisionism, an American avant-garde movement characterized by sharp, geometric lines, clean planes, and an admiration for machine-age efficiency and forms. In 'January Full Moon', this style is used to strip the rural barn of its rustic warmth, turning it into a deceptively complex, monolithic, and looming presence. The stark contrasts between deep-blue shadows and bright, moonlit snow create a quiet, eerie stillness that recalls the surreal, anxiety-inducing architectural cityscapes of Italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. The eerie, isolated atmosphere of January Full Moon deeply reflects Ault’s troubled personal life. By 1941, the 50-year-old artist was battling severe depression and alcoholism. He had suffered immense personal tragedy, including the deaths of his mother in a mental institution and all three of his brothers by suicide, two of whom ended their lives following the 1929 stock market crash. Seeking isolation, Ault moved to a small home in Woodstock, New York, in 1937. He created a hyper-ordered environment—meticulously trimming local vegetation, sweeping paths, and keeping a flawless studio—as a way to exert control over a world that felt chaotic and tragic. His wife, Louise Jonas, later observed that his 1940s nocturnes allowed him to transcend his personal grief to create a universally resonant, quiet, yet haunting vision of America.
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