Look up to the heavens on most any night and you'll see the same moon our ancestors saw, still casting its glow down on us. In fact, due to tidal forces, we even see the same side of the moon all the time!
From ancient Egyptian deities to walking on the moon's surface, humanity's fascination with our satellite pervades cultures around the world. Scroll to see perspectives of the moon from throughout history.
This Egyptian pendant, currently residing at The Metropolitan Museum in New York, was created between 1295 and 1070 BCE. It depicts the moon god Khonsu as a falcon, wearing a headdress of the crescent moon and sun.
Almost 3000 years later, German artist Caspar David Friedrich painted this rendition of the same crescent moon. The captivating work is on display at the New Masters Gallery in Dresden, Germany.
This piece is the first of three versions by the artist, created in approximately 1819. The men in the painting are said to be the artist and his disciple August Heinrich.
Tsukioka Yoshitoshi was one of the last masters of ukiyo-e, a Japanese form of woodblock art. He created this piece in 1892 as part of his series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon. This print is on display at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
The gargantuan moon shines brightly low in the sky, just above the fox's head. Why does the moon appear larger when it's closer to the horizon? There are multiple hypotheses, from atmospheric refraction to an optical illusion due to relative size.
Thousands of miles away, French painter Henri Rousseau created a similar view of the moon in 1907. Relative to the other subjects in the piece, this moon looks much smaller than the one in Yoshitoshi's work.
On the ground, a flute-playing woman charms a snake. Many of Rousseau's other pieces also feature the full moon. Do you think it held any special significance to him?
Earth's lunar counterpart also plays a prominent role in Vincent Van Gogh's famous Starry Night. A yellow crescent moon hangs in the sky above the sleepy village, surrounded by a pale halo like the other celestial beacons.
The topography of Van Gogh's built-up brushstrokes is difficult to capture in two dimensions, but a closer view gives a detailed perspective of the swirling colors. To see the breathtaking texture in person, visit MoMA in New York City.
One of the most ubiquitous representations of the moon is that of the "Man in the Moon." The sea-like dark areas on the surface contribute to the illusion. This perpetual lunar calendar, which appears courtesy of the Adler Planetarium, was crafted in Germany circa 1700 CE.
John Adams Whipple and James Wallace Black produced this early photograph of the moon around 1860. How incredible it must have been for the average person to see the view through the largest telescope in the world.
In 1969, our perspective of the moon changed forever. For the first time, human beings broke free of our earthly confines and touched down on another world. This photograph shows our home planet from almost 240,000 away!
The personification of the moon has continued to be a theme in media, in spite of our accurate imagery. This iconic example appeared in French filmmaker Georges Méliès' Le Voyage dans la Lune.
Today, we even have photographs of the dark side of the moon. Can you imagine Galileo's reaction to this mind-blowing image?
Below, you can take a magnificent tour of the moon's splendor, captured in a video by NASA.
Depicting a busy boulevard on a snowy morning, this 1897 work by Camille Pissarro was painted from his room in the Hôtel de Russie. Heavily influenced by some of Manet’s earlier urban works, the painting is an example of Pissarro’s short brushwork, used to capture the movement and dynamism of the busy street scene.
Abstract vertical shapes represent the crowds parading up and down the boulevard, with the carriages passing through the slushy snow on both sides of the street. Can you guess the city?
The Boulevard Montmartre on a Winter Morning by Camille Pissarro. The painting was one of a series the artist made from this exact spot, something he thought might appeal to dealers at the time. Zoom in and explore for yourself, here.
One of a series of paintings by the artist from his 1908 visit to the city, this is generally regarded by critics as showing Monet at the peak of his powers. He was staying at the Palazza Barbaro at the invitation of Mary Young Hunter and painted this scene from that viewpoint.
The painting captures the shifting appearance of the city caused by the effects of the water, using the mooring poles to counterbalance the buildings on the right of the canvas. But which city is it?
It's Le Grand Canal by Claud Monet, painted in the famous lagoon-city of Venice. Monet, however, is arguably more interested in capturing the light reflecting on the water than the architectural beauty of the city itself.
Edward Hoppers 1942 painting, Night Hawks, shows people in a late night diner as viewed through the large glass window of the building. The light from inside illuminates the empty street and is believed to depict the loneliness of a city late at night.
It's one of the most recognizable paintings in American art, the diner itself was imagined, and not based on a real location, but Hopper said it was a composite of numerous burger bars, grocery stores and bakeries he knew from his home town. Which city was that?
It's New York City, of course. Hopper was a native of Nyack, New York, about 20 miles north of Manhattan, and spent time in Greenwich Village. Explore Night Hawks for yourself here.
Arriving in this city in 1746 and remaining there for nine years, Canaletto seemed to draw as much inspiration from his adopted home as he did from Rome or Venice in his native Italy.
Unlike many of his other paintings of the city, the view is more or less at ground level and shows off the large curve of the river as it winds through the city. It provides a panoramic view of the city, although it’s safe to say it looks a little different today. But do you know where it is?
The Thames from Somerset House Terrace towards Westminster by Canaletto is one of a number of London cityscapes produced by Canaletto during his time in the UK. This view is up the river from the terrace at Old Somerset House.
How many of the cities could you identify? If you need to brush up on your urban artwork you can find out more by taking a tour of Canaletto's Europe, here.