Oscar Bluemner was among the artists who participated in the celebrated Armory Show of 1913, and he also exhibited at Alfred Stieglitz’s 291 gallery two years later.  However, early recognition brought him little financial stability, and in 1916 he entered into a long period of depression and poverty, during which he rarely producing finished works.

"Earth Sets on Moon" is the only sketch that survives of a planned larger canvas. Earth hovers as a threateningly red planet, while the moon’s imagined peaks are rendered in fantastic colors. In his notes on painting, published only after his death, Bluemner explained:  “Look at my work in a way as you listen to music—look at the space filled with colors and try to feel; do not insist on ‘understanding’ what seems strange. When you ‘FEEL’ colors, you will understand the ‘WHY’ of their forms. It is so simple.”