In 1943, Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning spent their first summer together in Arizona. The landscape and its bizarre formations, but also the moods shaped by the light and the weather, fascinated Max Ernst and inspired him to create numerous works in which this special atmosphere of the landscape plays a major role. In a 1948 letter, Max Ernst describes his relationship with Arizona:
"I like the wonderful deserts of Arizona, fauna, flora and the harsh stones well enough to be able to wait and work here for a while." In 1944, the year in which the present painting was created, Max Ernst noted “Moonmad” as his state of mind in the manuscript of his Biographical Notes, which was as succinct as it was meaningful. Accordingly, several night and lunar landscapes were created this year as a result of the experiences in Arizona, to which “Arizona Night” also belongs.
