Staring At The Moon
Staring At The Moon
Signed Print
Bob Dylan
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50 x 63cm, Edition of 295, Giclée print
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Meaning & Analysis
Based on a frame from Barry Levinson’s 1988 film Rain Man, Staring At The Moon shows Dustin Hoffman, leaning back and staring at the night sky, outside a Big 8 Motel. This 2017 signed giclée print from an edition of 295 captures the essence of mid-century American motel culture through Dylan's characteristically observational lens.
Staring At The Moon evokes the atmospheric quality of American road culture through its cinematic nighttime setting, illuminated by the motel's signage and warm interior lights. Interestingly, despite the evocative title, no actual moon appears in the composition, suggesting that while the central figure is caught in his contemplation of the moon, the viewer is caught in their contemplation of the figure. The work bears stylistic similarity to Edward Hopper's paintings of American isolation, transforming a simple roadside motel into a meditation on the temporary resting places that dot America's highways.
The vintage convertible reinforces the nostalgic quality of mid-20th-century travel culture, when motels represented freedom and adventure along America's expanding highway system. The piece captures both the allure and loneliness of these transient spaces, tiny against the vastness of America, where travellers pause momentarily before continuing their journeys, embodying his commitment to documenting the overlooked corners that reveal authentic American character in his The Beaten Path series.