Moonlight

Julian Alden Weir

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a cluster of trees against a bright sky in shades of pale yellow and pale seafoam green. Closest to us, a green-gray path stretches horizontally next to tall teal and blue grasses. The gray shadow of a tall tree crosses over the path. The trees occupy the top two-thirds of the painting, and they are painted in shades of blue-green, gray, pale yellow, lilac, and a pale, reddish-pink hue. Near the top right corner, a pale-yellow light source is visible through the leaves and branches of the tree in the center. The brushstrokes in the painting are visible, and the short strokes of thick paint all go in the same direction. These brushstrokes, combined with the seafoam-green color palette, give the painting a soft, hazy look.