Most viewers—except the very young—will immediately connect the title with Pink Floyd’s early 1970s album of the same name. This reference is intentional, but here the dark side of the moon symbolically represents the dark side of Keith Moon, The Who’s drummer (another reference for those of a certain age). He was an innovative, eccentric drummer and a “ticking time bomb” throughout his career, driven by chronic amphetamine and alcohol abuse. He ultimately died from an overdose at just 31.
While the moon’s bright left half against the dark background appears dominant, the focus actually lies on the dark half set against the light background. Upon closer examination, Keith Moon’s face emerges within this shadowed portion of the moon.
[A] The combination of the background of the picture and another visual object may evoke an (English) term that is ambiguous in German and thus “calls up a second theme”.
[B] In addition, this combination may result in a new subject or an invented word through an equally pronounced but differently spelled word combination, as well as through a differently pronounced but equally spelled word.
[C] Sometimes it is the title of the work that reveals the background and thematic association of the image.
[D] And in the one or other case it is just a modified photograph.