The Met's 'Chasing Clouds' Traces Two Centuries of Skywatching in New York
The 'Chasing Clouds' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, curated by Stephen C. Pinson, delves into the perspectives of artists and scientists regarding the sky from 1800 to the 1920s. Set to open on September 14, 2026, and continuing until February 28, 2027, the exhibit includes the Claude mirror, which connects early photography to image creation. The study of clouds and plein air painting began around 1800, with contributions from Johan Christian Dahl and John Constable, who made notes on cloud formations. Luke Howard's 1802 classifications had an impact on Goethe. John Beasley Greene's 1850s photography addressed the challenge of blue light, while Gustave Le Gray and Roger Fenton emphasized emotion, and Alfred Stieglitz's Equivalents series from the 1920s mirrored his feelings.
Key facts
- 'Chasing Clouds' is on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York from September 14, 2026, to February 28, 2027.
- The exhibition is curated by Stephen C. Pinson.
- The Claude mirror, a convex dark glass, allowed users to view landscapes as miniature reflections before photography existed.
- John Constable called his cloud-painting practice 'skying' and annotated works with time, wind direction, and orientation.
- In 1802, Luke Howard proposed cloud classifications including cumulus and cirrus, influencing Goethe and Romantic poetry.
- Early photographic chemistry was insensitive to blue light, causing clouds to disappear in landscape exposures.
- Gustave Le Gray combined separate negatives for sea and sky and kept a library of skies for reuse.
- Alfred Stieglitz's 1920s cloud photographs at Lake George became his Equivalents series, which he considered representations of his emotional state.
Entities
Artists
- Stephen C. Pinson
- Johan Christian Dahl
- John Constable
- Luke Howard
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- John Beasley Greene
- Édouard Baldus
- Gustave Le Gray
- Roger Fenton
- Alfred Stieglitz
- Jean-Michel Cels
- John Singer Sargent
- Marie-Charles-Isidore Choiselat
- Stanislas Ratel
- Eugene V. Thaw
- Joyce Menschel
- Robert Menschel
- Robert Rosenkranz
- John Goldsmith Phillips
- Mrs. Francis Ormond
- Horace W. Goldsmith
- Eugène Delacroix
Institutions
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The Morgan Library & Museum
- designboom
- The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Hampstead Heath
- London
- United Kingdom
- Lake George
- Egypt
- Sète
- Bergen
- Norway
- Dresden
- Germany