[KS] Science meets Art

[Frank Hoffmann]

"Science meets Art"--or rather a storm in the teacup?
The crescent moon has since archaic times been a symbol for female  
fertility in very many cultures. No matter if you look at Christian,  
Indian, Middle Eastern, or Chinese iconography, you will also find  
examples for the crescent moon with the extremities pointing  
*downward* as in Sin Yun-bok's masterpiece. Bartolomé Esteban Murillo  
(1617-1682) wrote, commenting his own work (a Maria depiction):  
"Beneath her feet we behold the moon. Although it is a solid planet, I  
myself rendered it light and translucent, hanging over the landscape  
as a half-moon with the extremities pointing downward." In India the  
Goddess Shailutri is usually depicted with a half-moon (extremities  
pointing down) in her forehead, and sometimes even Shiva is. The  
downward pointing half-moon has in such depictions often the function  
of a crown. In Daoist texts the downward pointing crescent moon is  
interpreted as a sign for the slow movement of power changes  
(movements) within Yin and Yang cycle of life--and some of the Daoyin  
breathing practices are based on this constellation. Interesting in  
our case, for Sin Yun-bok's painting, in India and South East Asian  
cultures (and I have at this time no information if and how this  
travelled to East Asia) the crescent moon with the extremities  
pointing downward is understood as representing female sexuality (not  
just vertility). THAT absolutely makes sense then in Sin's painting of  
lovers. One would certainly have to research such an issue further,  
look for other examples in East Asian painting and sculpture, that for  
sure. But please understand that painters did in traditional times not  
just paint what they saw, not the way they saw it. That may to some  
degree not be completely excluded, of course, especially with someone  
like Sin Yun-bok. However, the moon is just used so heavily as an  
icon, I would think this is a rather obscure argument.

dnɔɐǝʇ ǝɥʇ uı ɯɹoʇs ɐ ʇsnɾ -- pɹɐʍuʍop ƃuıʇuıod sǝıʇıɯǝɹʇxǝ ǝɥʇ ɥʇıʍ  
uooɯ ʇuǝɔsǝɹɔ ǝɥʇ

Best,
Frank