The Sky Pond

Paul Kauvar Smith, The Sky Pond, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.59
Copied Paul Kauvar Smith, The Sky Pond, 1933-1934, oil on canvas, 42 x 50 1⁄8 in. (106.8 x 127.4 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor, 1964.1.59

Artwork Details

Title
The Sky Pond
Artist
Date
1933-1934
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
42 x 50 1⁄8 in. (106.8 x 127.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Transfer from the U.S. Department of Labor
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Landscape — mountain
  • Landscape — lake
  • Landscape — weather — snow
  • Landscape — phenomenon — glacier
  • New Deal — Public Works of Art Project — Colorado
Object Number
1964.1.59
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1964.1.59

Artwork Description

This stunning Colorado view is one that hikers in Rocky Mountain National Park can see to this day. Artist Paul Kauvar Smith portrayed the brown rocks of the central mountain, Taylor Peak, as red as if they were illuminated by a sunset. However, the sky seen above the mountain and reflected in Sky Pond is the brilliant blue of midday. The snows of Taylor Glacier glow blue-white between the rugged boulders, showing how cold it is in the high Rockies even when the slopes are clad in summer greenery. Smith's sun-drenched colors and grand mountain scenery evoked a wild paradise all too distant for those caught in the gritty urban poverty of Depression-era America.

Smith probably encountered the Civilian Conservation Corps, a work relief program for young men, as he explored the Colorado Rockies in search of picturesque landscapes. By spring 1933 the CCC was at work in Rocky Mountain National Park, building the trails and roads that visitors would travel to experience remote wilderness spots like Taylor Peak and Sky Pond for themselves.

1934: A New Deal for Artists exhibition label

Related Books

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1934: A New Deal for Artists
During the Great Depression, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “new deal for the American people,” initiating government programs to foster economic recovery. Roosevelt’s pledge to help “the forgotten man” also embraced America’s artists. The Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) enlisted artists to capture “the American Scene” in works of art that would embellish public buildings across the country. Although it lasted less than one year, from December 1933 to June 1934, the PWAP provided employment for thousands of artists, giving them an important role in the country’s recovery. Their legacy, captured in more than fifteen thousand artworks, helped “the American Scene” become America seen.