The Storm 1814 - 1830

Curator: This is "The Storm," an oil painting created by Georges Michel, sometime between 1814 and 1830. It currently resides here at The Art Institute of Chicago. Editor: The first thing that hits me is the light, or lack thereof. It's a real mood piece, all swirling dark clouds and a kind of oppressive atmosphere. Curator: Absolutely, that's a key feature of Michel's work. He was fascinated by dramatic weather effects. The approaching tempest almost seems like a character in the painting. Look how he captures the heavy clouds bearing down. They feel so alive, so turbulent. Editor: The windmill on the horizon feels almost gothic against that sky, a sentinel of sorts, facing the onslaught. Windmills often symbolize perseverance and resistance, don't they? Kind of makes you wonder if the little figures in the foreground are on a fool’s errand… are they bringing the windmill whatever keeps it in the storm for another cycle? Curator: Good point! Notice how Michel uses the figures as part of the larger composition. They are these tiny people dwarfed by the scale of the landscape. I feel an overwhelming sense of vulnerability and acceptance here; this almost inevitable feeling of powerlessness. Editor: Powerless... yes, I like that. The painting definitely leans into that romantic sublime kind of thing, nature being this awesome and terrifying force, but, what's so particularly interesting is how contemporary it looks with that muted color and bold sweeping brushstrokes, that captures this essence so potently. Almost like charcoal sketches, with just a touch of paint Curator: Definitely. It captures the raw, untamed beauty of nature, something so real, despite how dreamlike it feels. It also highlights how little control we truly have, something worth contemplating as we go about our own days, buffeted by our own storms. Editor: Well, for me, that windmill represents our resilience too. A testament to human grit amidst the chaos and to see its symbolical echo of that spirit on those carrying what they are. Always looking up in a symbolic relationship of purpose. Curator: It's interesting to consider the windmill both ways - our weakness and our persistence facing immense things. And isn’t that just the human experience.