Albert Joseph Moore A.R.W.S.

Noel Ranger Collection

Sale, Christie's, London, February 29, 1980, lot 84, illustrated

Moore was one of the great proponents of the English Aesthetic movement, a group of progressive artists dedicated to the principle that art should have no documentary or didactic function, but should instead seek to affect the viewer by means of emotion and mood.  This "art for art's sake" philosophy coincided with a renewed interest in classical images and themes, producing canvases novel in both vision and idea. 

Moore's developed his predilection for classical subjects while studying the ancient marbles in the British Museum and during extended visits to Rome from 1862-63.  In the early 1860's, Moore received various commissions for schemes of painted decoration for country houses and chraches, and for each of these he invented large-scale designs incorporating classically-draped figures.  Stars is a romantic example Moore working within the Aesthetic desire to eliminate narrative and focus on an evocative atmosphere.  The figure's ambigous expression and setting leave no literary clues and instead encourage more universal interpretations.