Everyone knows the sky. No matter who you are or where you live, the sky is the same for everyone. In this museum, we will be looking at the sky in several different ways. First, we will look at the sky as a mystery, where much is left to the imagination. Next, we will look at it as a real being, with a complex personality. Finally, we will look at its beauty and how different artists have captured it. I want my visitors to be able to see the sky and themselves in a whole new way. The sky has so many aspects, and so many personalities, just like people. In a way, it could also represent the world, with the sky being the Earth, and the stars being the people. When visitors leave, I want them to step outside and look up at the sky and truly appreciate it.
Room 1: The Mysteries of the sky
What lies beyond the clouds? The art in this room shows only a selective view of the sky, we do not get the full picture. The sky is so vast, the artists can only give you a tiny peek. Are there birds flying in the distance? Where is the sun or the moon? We do not know! The artists leave the rest of the sky to the viewers' imagination.
Sky, by John Singer Sargent, 1900-1910
Content: In this painting, John Singer Sargent only shows you the clouds, with a few spots of the blue sky mixed in. The subject matter does not give you any more information, so the rest is left to your imagination. The clouds symbolize the unknown, and the blue sky symbolizes certainty. All together, the painting represents life, where anything is possible.
Sunset Sky, by John Frederick Kensett, 1872
Form: John Frederick Kensett used a veritable palette of colors to create this masterpiece. Gentle yellows complement soft blues, grays and browns, creating a fading effect. The soft brown is highlighted with streaks of metallic bronze, adding depth and texture to the painting.
Cloud Study: Thunder Clouds over the Palace Tower at Dresden, by, Johan Christian Clausen Dahl, 1825
Form: The artist uses thick brushstrokes to paint the clouds covering the sky. In contrast, he uses fine brushstrokes to paint the buildings below. This makes it seem like the clouds are in motion, but the buildings are staying still.
The sky is full of mystery, as shown in the last room. On the other hand, the next room will be focused on the sky as a real being.
Room 2: The Sky's Mood
How many times have you seen angry storm clouds? Or a gentle sunset? What about gloomy fog, or a cheerful sunrise? The adjectives that we associate with these types of weather are typically used to describe people and their moods. So why do we use them to describe the sky? In the next room, we will see paintings of the sky where we can imagine it having human emotions.
Stormy Sky, by Pierre Henri de Valenciennes or Circle, 1819
Content: This landscape painting depicts dark storm clouds hovering over a green field. It is clearly raining. The clouds seem to be rolling across the countryside, so the painting appears to be in motion.
A Foggy Sky, by John Frederick Kensett, 1872
Form: In this painting, the artist made the entire sky look gray with fog. There is not even a spot of blue peeking through. The gray gives off a very melancholy feeling, which makes the painting feel gloomy. The soft gray deeply contrasts the blue-green hue of the sea, making a clear horizon line between the sky and the sea.
Waterloo Bridge, Effect of Fog, by Claude Monet, 1899-1901
Context/Content: During Claude Monet's time, a type of art known as Impressionism was becoming popular. Instead of painting something exact, artists would paint an impression of whatever they wanted to depict. In this painting, Monet uses a very extreme form of Impressionism to make the fog more apparent. We can barely see the faint outline of a big bridge, which is Waterloo Bridge.
The Rain, by William Coffin, 1889
Content: The artist used oil paints for this painting, but it look like an old photograph since it is fully black, white, and gray. The gray color gives the painting a very gloomy feeling. Even though the entire landscape does not turn gray, most colors are diluted when it is cloudy and rainy. The painting is a very extreme way of showing this.
Sunset on the Sea, by John Frederick Kensett, 1872
Content: This painting shows a beautiful sunset over the ocean, hence its name. If you have ever been to the beach in the evening, this is something you have seen. The setting sun casts a beautiful orange glow across the water, which reflects the glow, washing everything in orange and yellow.
In the previous room, we saw the sky when we could imagine it with emotions of its own. While the sky cannot feel human emotions, the weather often makes it feel like it can. Moving on to our next room, we turn to all the different ways that artists interpret the sky.
Room 3: Interpretations
Looking up at the sky, you will not see Vincent van Gogh's Starry Night with just your eyes. You will need to use another tool: Your imagination. Artists with a great deal of imagination have the ability to look at the sky and see so much more than just what is in front of them. Can you see it too?
Windy Night Sky, by Albert Bloch, 1944
Form: In this artwork, the artist used long, sweeping brushstrokes to define the wind. Nobody can see wind, but this painting is what wind might look like if you could see it. Hues of warm pink that are swirled throughout the sky deeply contrast the much cooler shades of blue and purple.
Night Sky, by Roger Wiek, 2016
Content: This painting does not seem like the sky. It is actually from an art movement called Abstract Expressionism. Abstract Expressionism is when artists focus more on painting something from their minds and hearts, rather than an exact representation. In this painting, the dripping paint might be snow or rain. The black background would be the night sky. So, there is always an interesting was to interpret art from the Abstract Expressionism movement.
Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889
Context: This painting, called Starry Night, is extremely well known, but the history of its creator is not. Vincent Van Gogh, who painted it, had a very hard life. He suffered from mental illness, even cutting off his own ear after an argument with another painter. He was eventually admitted into an insane asylum. Starry Night was the view out of his bedroom window at the asylum.
We have now left our third and final room, and our journey is complete. Now, let us walk outside and look up. The sky can connect us all, not matter who we are, where we live, or how the world views us. Even people who lived hundreds of thousands of years ago still looked up at the sky. I hope that my museum has helped you appreciate it better.