The Sky Pond

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: Paul Kauvar Smith
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: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
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

Works by this artist (483 items)

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Susanna (#1)

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Paul Manship

Date1948

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Eve (#1)

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Paul Manship

Date1935

bronze

Model of Flagpole Base, Alfred E. Smith Memorial

Artist

Paul Manship

Daten.d., cast posthumously

bronze

Frog

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Paul Manship

Date1952

bronze on lapis lazuli base

Related Books

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.